Ethnic violence creates panic among citizens
By MANSOOR KHAN November 29, 2008 KARACHI - Growing ethnic violence is gripping the City which is creating panic among the citizens.
Rumours and warning threats to people to leave their houses, teashops, incidents of torture and blazing of pushcarts/shops have been created panic among the Karachiites.
Gossips spread across the City that Pushtoon have planned to blow up the water supply line and will also devise a strategy to halt the supply line of basic commodities from rest of the country.
Residents of various areas where ethnic rivalry is strengthening include North Nazimabad, North Karachi, Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Quaidabad, Liaquatabad and number of other areas.
Residents of the Chappell Apartment, Gulshan View, A-One Apartment, Phase 1, 2 and Iqra City situated at Abul Hassan Isphahani Road, Sohrab Goth have been suffering due to rising political tension.
It has been leant that some armed miscreants have visited various apartments where multi-ethnic population is residing and announced on megaphone that a particular language-speaking people leave the houses as early as possible while area police have declined to know about the incident when contacted.
Bhakhar Goth located here in the Sachal police precincts where a specific group of militants have forcibly vacated number of residential and commercial lands. A printing factory owner seeking anonymity told TheNation that miscreants have occupied the whole Goth including my factory and also locked the doors of the houses.
North Nazimabad, Hassan Disolva Town, comprising of ethnic population, residents complained that some miscreants had dispatched written warnings and asked people of a particular sect to leave the houses.
Naseem, a mobile shop owner at Gulshan View said, “I have closed my shop permanently because of frequent threats.” Activists of a political party have warned the residents of a particular language to leave the apartments otherwise be prepared for the consequences. It has also been reported that some miscreants have warned tea stalls owners throughout the City to leave their business.
Mostly tea shops were getting frequents threats here throughout the City while Paposh Nagar, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad and Shadman areas are the areas where hundreds of tea shops were shut down because of the rising tension and threats.
Rohdad Khan, 27, an employee at the tea shop located at Sector 14/B, Shadman Town sustained bullet injuries when firing between the miscreants and shop owners took place. On the other side, culprits intercepted two salesmen near Malik Agha Hotel and after torturing they put the gluey liquid in the ears of salesmen. In Liaquatbad, some miscreants intercepted a pushcart vendor and tortured him.
Increasing use of weapons among the political organisations has also shown that political organisations have been preparing their workers for some kind of massive clash.
It is pertinent to mention here that the present government have busted all the previous record of arms’ licenses and have also been issuing permits of prohibited rifles in large numbers. Law enforcement agencies are remained silent and are not seen active in order to minimise chances of clash.
IG Sindh Salahuddin Baber Khattak had called an urgent meeting at Central Police Office Karachi in which police officers of all ranks participated. He directed them to take immediate action against the miscreants without any discrimination of political affiliation.