KARACHI: Heavy contingents of police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) were deployed in Lyari on Monday indicating start of “targeted operations” the IGP Sindh pointed out on Sunday, DawnNews reported.

There are reports of heavy contingents of FC officials reached at Eidgah, Kharadar and Risala police stations.

These officials will be deployed at entry and exit points of Lyari and adjoining business centres.

Earlier on Sunday, a news channel quoted the police chief as hinting at plans to launch targeted operations in some localities instead of a large-scale crackdown.

The police and Frontier Constabulary personnel had withdrawn from Lyari on Friday evening after failing to achieve desired results during the weeklong operation that had left at least 36 people, including five policemen, dead and over 150 others wounded.

Following the pull-out, Interior Minister Rehman Malik had told the media that the operation had been deferred for 48 hours only to be relaunched jointly by the police and Rangers.

But on Sunday, Sindh IGP Mushtaq Shah was quoted by a private TV channel as saying that the Lyari operation was not going to resume anytime soon. “An operation will not be carried out but targeted actions will be conducted in Lyari. The decision has been taken keeping in view the inconvenience caused to the residents during the operation.”

Meanwhile, CID police has arrested three suspects allegedly belonging to banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). According to police, they have recovered nine Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and several rounds of bullets from their possession.

Police has also claimed that the arrested were supplying ammunition to criminals fighting in Lyari.