KARACHI, Nov 28: Nearly half a dozen incidents of arson, looting and ransacking in different parts of the city were reported during the 24 hours ending Friday evening, deepening fears and speculation of ethnic violence, as cited by Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah during the current session of the Sindh Assembly.

In the wee hours of Friday, armed men broke into some shops on Abdul Hasan Ispahani Road and set a couple of them on fire after taking away valuables from inside. The police authorities confirmed the incident but claimed that “most of those involved had been identified and arrested.”

“Only two shops were set on fire,” said Sohail Zafar Chattha, SP Gulshan Town. “The police moved after the incident and located the culprits to arrest a total of 17 people with weapons. We have also registered FIRs separately at the Sohrab Goth and Sachal police stations.”

On Thursday afternoon, a clash between two ethnic groups with the backing of their respective political parties was reported in a locality of the Gulberg Town. Use of firearms in the clash spread panic in the area.

Incidents of armed clashes and firing in the air were also reported from Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Sohrab Goth, Quaidabad, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and several other parts of the city as the two ethnic groups continued to challenge the writ of the law.

In North Nazimabad, tension gripped a locality when a large number of residents of Hassan D’Silva Town received the warning notes from unknown groups to vacate their houses “at the earliest to avoid further trouble”.