KARACHI, Aug 3 The death toll in the city violence triggered by Monday's murder of Syed Raza Haider, a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and member of the Sindh Assembly, rose to 48 on Tuesday, when 133 other wounded were being treated in four major hospitals, officials said.

At least five people were killed in early morning armed attacks in different areas, and some of the wounded being treated at different health facilities died from wounds during treatment. Medico-legal sections at four hospitals — Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Civil Hospital Karachi, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Qatar Hospital — examined a total of 46 bodies for legal formalities.

“Right now 80 persons wounded with bullets are being treated at the JPMC, 22 at Qatar Hospital, 17 at Civil Hospital and 14 are admitted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital,” said an official at the provincial health ministry. “Obviously, some of them have multiple bullet wounds and are in a critical condition. Considering the number of people wounded and their current status, figures of casualties is feared to increase.”

The city remained tense and sporadic gunfire rattled various localities early in the morning whereas at least five bodies were received by the JPMC and Civil Hospital after sunrise. A 25-year-old man, Ameenullah, was brought dead to the Civil Hospital from Qasba Mor with two bullet wounds in the chest. An hour later, the body of an unidentified man in his mid-20s was also received by the health facility.

In Korangi, a young man was gunned down within the remit of the Zaman Town police station. He was later identified as Rehan. His body was shifted to the JPMC, where an unknown young man was also brought dead from Model Colony. At the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, a dead man with two bullets lodged in his chest was brought from Gujjar Nullah within the remit of the Nazimabad police station.

By night, two more youngsters were gunned down in Qasba Colony. One of them was claimed to be an activist of the Awami National Party. The area police said armed men opened fire on a group of people standing on the edge of the street in Pirabad 2 near Qasba Mor.

The bodies were shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where one of them was identified as 20-year-old Ismail Malang. The victim was claimed to be a party worker by the ANP while the other victim remained identified.

The fire department, however, remained unable to sum up the losses in arson activities, saying its men and vehicles could not access the affected areas on security grounds. However, the stakeholders counted that 50 vehicles of public transport alone were set on fire by Tuesday morning.

“The public vehicles torched across the city were 42 minibuses and coaches and eight buses,” said Irshad Bukhari, the president of the Karachi Transport Ittehad. “We are not aware of the number of auto-rickshaws, taxis and trucks torched in the arson attacks as they are not in our association's domain. No doubt they are in their dozens.”

Crime-scene probe

Amid fear and uneasy calm, the police officers tasked with investigating the MQM MPA's killing with his police guard visited the crime-scene — Jama Masjid Nazimabad 2 near the Inquiry Office — and claimed to have determined the number of attackers and the way the legislator was killed.

However, the investigators admitted a handicap in spotting any eyewitness referring to the 'fear factor' among people. The very fact reflected in the initial investigation findings that unfolded the number of the attackers and the weapons they used but could not trace the dresses of the assailants.

“But we have concluded that they were five in number riding on two motorbikes,” said a senior officer and member of the investigation team under DIG-West Sultan Khwaja. “Two of them first got off and hit police guard Khalid Khan in the forehead. The policeman was standing over 40 yards from Mr Haider outside the mosque before moving to him, who was also outside the mosque at that time.”

Seeing his guard being attacked, Mr Haider ran into the mosque, said the officer. A majority of the people were offering the Asr prayer in congregation. A few people spotted the two attackers — one carrying an AK-47 and the other a 9mm pistol.

“They finally trapped Mr Haider near the ablution section close to the entrance of the mosque. Earlier, the MPA had dropped one of his two police guards with his family at the home of his friend, whose mother had died, and he rode off with the other one to attend her funeral prayers.”

He said the police had prepared sketches with the help of some eyewitnesses and now would look into the fact whether the armed attackers followed him from his friend's residence or were waiting outside the mosque.

“Suspicion falls on terrorists of banned outfits, who have executed killings recently on sectarian grounds,” said Raja Umar Khattab, the SP of the Special Investigation Unit. “Our findings are based on the intelligence gathering and initial investigations. These elements have become active and have targeted several people in the city in recent months.”

The Nazimabad police station, meanwhile, registered an FIR (619/2010) under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code for the killing of Raza Haider and his police guard on the complaint of the MPA's nephew.