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KARACHI: An uneasy calm descended upon Lyari on Saturday after Friday’s daylong gun battle between police and armed men that left at least four people dead and scores wounded.
However, random and scattered firing incidents and arson and cracker attacks kept regular life activities suspended and residents indoors on Saturday in the city’s oldest neighbourhood and its adjoining areas, officials said.
In the early hours of Saturday, a young man was shot dead in the Dhobi Ghaat area. Although the police did not find any particular reason behind his killing, the investigators suspected that the victim, Rustam Ali, fell prey to the ongoing wave of violence in the area.
From the sunrise, tyres were seen burning on roads amid sounds of heavy gunfire that kept markets closed and obliged residents to stay indoors.
Life remained completely paralysed with all markets shut and transport off the road in several areas of Lyari, including Bihar Colony, Lea Market, Dubai Chowk, Kamela Stop and Aath Chowk.
The firing left 12-year-old Hasan Ahmed wounded who was later discharged from the Civil Hospital Karachi after treatment.
However, the situation turned relatively violent in the Trans-Lyari area.
In Old Golimar, a cracker bomb attack left two men injured and in Soldier Bazaar a firing incident claimed the life of a suspected criminal.
“What we have gathered from area people is this that some armed men on motorbikes attempted to intercept a bus in the first half of the day in an Old Golimar area,” said DSP Rustam Khattak, the area sub-divisional police officer (SDPO).
“However, the bus driver did not stop and sped away. The armed riders chased him but in vain. Then they fired a cracker which caused minor injuries to two people. We believe that the incident is part of yesterday’s Lyari violence.” In Soldier Bazaar some armed men on motorbikes fired random shots near the busy Chandni Chowk apparently to force traders to pull down their shutters, the police said.
However, in the process, one of their own aides got wounded and later died in hospital.
“The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Moosa, son of Abdul Rasheed,” said DSP Qaiser Ali Shah, the area’s SDPO.
“He was a member of the group of armed men who fired shots and caused panic among traders. He was hit by the bullet of his own aides and died.”
However, life returned to some semblance of normality in parts of Lyari in the second half of the day and by the evening the situation had become much better.
The area police said that FIRs for Friday’s incidents had not been registered yet.
“The victims’ families have not yet contacted the police. Similarly, the police are busy collecting details to ascertain who were behind the yesterday attacks before finally booking them in FIRs,” said a police official.
