KARACHI, March 8: Four men were killed and nine others, three of them women, wounded during protests in different parts of the city on Monday in protest against the killing of MPA Abdullah Murad.

Shops, markets and shopping centres remained closed in Lyari, parts of Saddar, SITE and several areas of Malir. The MPA and his chauffeur were shot dead on Saturday by yet unidentified gunmen.

Abdullah Murad's soyem was observed at his residence on Jamia Millia Road in Malir. Several people including leaders of PPP, other politicians and government officials attended the soyem.

Police used teargas shells and batons to disperse protesters on Super Highway in Gadap, National Highway in Malir, Lyari, Ibrahim Hyderi, Al-Falah, Rifah-i-Aam Society, Ghazi Town, etc.

Police sources said that more than 100 people had been detained for disturbing peace. However, DIG Karachi Operations Tariq Jamil said: "We have arrested 11 people for breach of peace in Lyari." He said no arrests were made from any other part of the city.

Parts of National Highway and Super Highway were closed for vehicular traffic several times as protesters kept appearing in groups and pelted moving vehicles with stones.

"I was coming from Hyderabad when our bus was stopped at Toll Plaza. The bus remained there for hours and later it was allowed to enter the city. The Super Highway from Toll Plaza to Sohrab Goth intersection was littered with stones and burnt tyres," a passenger Faraz Ali said after reaching the city from Hyderabad.

But the DIG said that the Super Highway was blocked only once for some time. The National Highway was not closed and it remained open to traffic all day. The violence began in Lyari early in the morning when some people opened fire with automatic weapons in Kalakot. Mohammad Nisar, 18, and Noor Mohammad, 30, were killed in the shooting at Dhobi Ghat.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement claimed that both the victims belonged to its Lyari unit. However, members of the families of both the victims initially told police that the deceased had nothing to do with any political or religious group.

A group of people opened fire at a bus at Shahnawaz Chowk on Lyari Tannery Road, killing Mohammad Asif, 20, on the spot. Abdul Majeed and Liaquat Baloch suffered bullet wounds. They were taken to a hospital.

In Kalakot, Kamran Hussain, 19, was attacked with clubs and knives. He was taken to a hospital where his condition was stated to be serious. A vendor was attacked in Chakiwara where shops were closed. The assailants set the 65-year-old vendor's pushcart on fire and shot at him. He suffered bullet wounds.

Imran Hanif was standing near Tonga stand in Risala police limits when he suffered a bullet wound. Some armed men fired on a bus carrying the employees of a garment factory on Mohabbat Nagar Road in Saudabad, Malir. Three women, Rukhsana, Rehana, Shakila, and a man, Rafiq, were wounded.

A complete shutdown was observed in Lyari, parts of Saddar and Site Towns. In some places, police used tear gas to disperse angry youths. Sporadic clashes between protesters and police were reported from several localities.

Many educational institutions postponed their papers as students could not turn up due to non-availability of transport. Chawkiwara, Athh Chowk, Lea Market, Kalakot, Baghdadi, Kalri, Nawabad were the worst-affected areas where youths virtually took over their localities and stopped transporters from entering their areas.

Reports of firing were received from various parts of the town. In the morning, angry youths lit bonfire and put barricades on Shah Latif Bhittai Road, Mauripur Road, Chawkiwara Road, Tannery Road and Shah Waliullah Road, disrupting the vehicular traffic.

A group of masked youths burnt tyres on the main Chawkiwara Road and Miran Naka. They blocked the entire Tannery Road from Athh Chowk up to Miran Naka by putting obstacles.

They raised slogans against the government and the leadership of Muttahida Qaumi Movement. DIG Tariq Jamil said that some protesters tried to force shopkeepers to close their shops at Athh Chowk in Lyari. The shopkeepers resisted which caused a clash between them. A police party reached the spot and it was attacked by the protesters.

"We have to lob teargas shells and baton-charge the protesters who went into narrow lanes and bylanes. They appeared at intervals and pelted the police with stones. The hide-and-seek continued for some time," he said.

Similar incidents were reported from Rehri Goth, Daud Goth, Ghazi Town, Malir-15, Rifah-i-Aam, Dhani Bux Goth, Mohammad Village in Ibrahim Hyderi and Gadap. Police reportedly detained a number of protesters, some of them were later released.