KARACHI, Oct 15: When armed motorcyclists entered the narrow lanes of the Shershah scrap market, right around closing time, Mohammad Zeeshan, 19, was waiting for his father to finish work and head home. His father, Irshad Ahmed, was one of the many people working at the spare parts market shop and used to sell car bumpers.

According to mechanics, six men on three motorbikes entered the congested market and shot people in the head, after inquiring their name and ethnicity.

Most shopkeepers being from the Urdu-speaking community got numb with fear as the men prodded them for an answer others dashed for the only exit. Within seconds the gunmen opened fire, killing 10 people on the spot and leaving several others wounded.

Zeeshan’s father died on the spot, before he could even react. Another man fired a bullet that went into Zeeshan’s throat and came out of his head. Even as he bled profusely, he somehow survived the attack. But forgetting it, is another story altogether.

It’s been three years since the attack. But things haven’t changed much. This year in February, the president and the general secretary of the scrap market were gunned down at Ghani Chowrangi.

Unfortunately, even if people are not sure of the exact location of Shershah and what is sold there, they do know about the scrap market incident that claimed 12 lives. Predominantly a Baloch and Pashtun neighbourhood, Shershah starts from where Lyari ends near Mira Naka Bridge. Most other communities such as Kutchhis and Ganchhis are either owners or workers at Shershah. The scrap market, however, is a melting pot, having a mix of Urdu-speaking, Baloch, Kutchhi, Sindhi and Pashtun workers who are mostly car mechanics or sell spare parts. Zeeshan and many others workers like him come to scrap market from Mehmoodabad, Korangi, Orangi and Liaquatabad.

Born and brought up in Liaquatabad, Zeeshan started working at the spare parts market when he was eight. Standing in line with curious bystanders near his shop, he says that his father’s death understandably shook him but he decided to move on. “I had to earn for my family. I have to be strong for them, whatever happened is over now,” he adds quietly. At present, he is earning Rs600 a day and feels it is better than sitting idle at home and waiting for others to help him out.

This was the first ethnic clash that came to the fore in recent years. Just as ethnic rivalry for turf has increased in other parts of Karachi, Shershah being one of the revenue generating areas became one of the grounds for that rivalry.

But the revenue has gone low over the past five years. The foremost reasons for that are extortion and continuing strife in the area.

A cyclist owning a spare parts shop in the scrap market, Sajid, 25, who didn’t gave his last name, said: “The strife is not so visible at first. It is only when a few people from a particular group are arrested that the shootings start, usually targeting innocent bystanders or shopkeepers.”

Just a week earlier, Sajid escaped a firing incident that was in retaliation to a few Baloch men being arrested by the paramilitary forces. “I thought of moving to Jackson Market in Keamari. But the route to Keamari goes through Bihar and Agra Taj Colony from my area. There are pickets of armed men who harass people by inquiring about their name, profession etc, so I thought it better to stay where I am.”

Unlike other lanes inside the scrap market, Gali No 7 where the shooting occurred on Oct 20, 2010 has only one exit. The market stands right opposite Shershah Bridge, with entrance from Shershah and an exit that goes towards Mewashah Graveyard through Jahanabad.

Just before the shooting, most warehouse owners had an idea that something might go wrong in the coming days. A few heated exchanges were reported between the members of two rival political parties. On Oct 20, 2010, targeted killings, including the shooting incident around evening, were reported from across the city. Even three years later, people inside the market avoid discussing the incident or inquire about the arrests made, even if no one was arrested. Most of them completely undermine the impact of the incident itself. Soon after the incident, most families refused to speak to the press. Sajid explains that the reason behind it is “rational. We have to make it back home. Asking such questions and pointing fingers leaves out even that possibility.”

Syed Manzoor Hussain, 68, who looks over the finished product at H. Akbar warehouse, says: “We always counted Baloch as our saviours. I never thought they will attack a community like that. It was unimaginable in our times. We on our part are trying to make this market work, no matter what. When life has to end it will.”

However, a warehouse owner while requesting anonymity said: “Things are being overly exaggerated by the media and it ends up scaring away potential customers. Things are bad but the violence is not limited to Shershah alone but occurs in other areas too.”