28 dead in wave of violence in Karachi
KARACHI -- Gunmen have killed at least 28 people in Karachi, raising ethnic, political and sectarian tensions in Pakistan's largest city as voters cast ballots on Sunday for a replacement for a provincial lawmaker murdered in August.
Police said they were still investigating the motives behind the shootings, but many so-called target killings in Karachi in the past have been linked to gangs controlled by various groups including the city's two main political parties, the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP), the Pakistani media has reported.
We cannot say whether all the killings were politically motivated or some gangs were involved because the killings took place in different parts of the city and were not confined to the area where the elections were being held, Karachi police Chief Fayyza Leghari said.
Taking note of the recent target killings, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has directed DG Rangers to improve security. He has ordered the rangers to patrol sensitive areas and take action without any discrimination. He has also appealed to political leaders to be patient and cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
In August, a lawmaker of Karachi's dominant MQM was killed by gunmen, sparking violence which killed 100 people in a week.
MQM's rival, the ethnic Pashtun-based ANP, boycotted the by-election after complaining that the MQM would rig the poll, Reuters reported.
Aside from trying to contain violence in Karachi, the government faces the task of rebuilding areas devastated by summer floods which inflicted $9.7 billion in damage and will strain the weak economy for several years.
The MQM accused the ANP of carrying out the killings, an allegation it denied.
Soon after announcing its boycott of the by-election, ANP's terrorists began killing innocent citizens in a bid to sabotage the election process, the party said in a statement.
The party said 25 people, including MQM workers, were killed. Karachi often shuts down for brief periods after political killings, as well major bombings police usually blame on militant groups.
Stock market investors keep a wary eye on tension in Karachi, home to Pakistan's main port, stock exchange and central bank and the main gateway for Western military supplies bound for neighboring land-locked Afghanistan.
The city has a long history of ethnic, religious and sectarian violence. But hundreds of targeted killings this year have raised concerns that violence would escalate and create a new crisis for the U.S.-backed federal government.
Provincial health minister Mohammad Saghir said gunmen attacked people belonging to ethnic and political groups to ruin the peace of this city. About 40 people were wounded, he said.
The MQM's leadership was weighing all options in response to the violence, including withdrawing from the provincial coalition government led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of President Asif Ali Zardari, a source said.
It has made similar threats in the past.
The party is allied with the PPP at the federal level.
The MQM represents the Mohajirs, descendants of Urdu-speakers who migrated from India after the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
Photo: Pakistani paramilitary solders patrol the streets of Karachi on October 17, 2010.
tehran times : 28 dead in wave of violence in Karachi
