Ethnic tensions grip Karachi

Ethnic clashes in Sindh had started after a student of Sir Syed College for Women, Nazimabad, Karachi, Bushra Zaidi, was crushed to death by a mini-bus in April 1985 followed by armed clashes between the Urdu speaking people and the Pathans resulting in severe killings and loot and arson incidents.  

Bushra Zaidi’s sister and three other friends were seriously injured in the accident. The reaction from the people was spontaneous. Many other innocent persons had also met a similar fate before the tragic death of Zaidi.

The students from Sir Syed College for Women marched on the streets to protest the death of their fellow student. A large number of people also joined them. The reaction of the police was savage. The trouble soon spread to Liaquatabad and the next day the mob went on the rampage setting buses, wagons and every other vehicle on fire.  

Though Nazimabad and Liaquatabad became calm, the trouble spread to the largest Katchi Abadi of the City, Orangi Town, which houses several ethnic communities.  

One of these communities controls the entire transport system and the anger was directed against this community in particular. The violence continued for three days and many bodies were recovered from Orangi, some of them mutilated.