=> KARACHI, Dec 27: Fear and chaos ruled the city as
KARACHI, Dec 27: Fear and chaos ruled the city as news spread about former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s death in an apparent suicide attack in Rawalpindi, with the ensuing violence in Karachi claiming at least five lives while more than 150 vehicles, some petrol pumps and a hospital were set ablaze.
The city descended into anarchy as armed protesters took to the streets, to be joined later by gangsters who held up panic-stricken citizens stuck in traffic jams on major arteries of the city.
The traffic came to a halt as hundreds of thousands of people, anticipating violence in reaction to the assassination of the Pakistan People’s Party chairperson, fled their workplaces and sought to reach the safety of their homes. Meanwhile, law-enforcers appeared to have abandoned their roles of protectors of the peace and were not seen on the city streets.
The news hit the streets by sunset and nearly every part of the city experienced sporadic incidents of serious aerial firing, which forced the closure of all businesses and the suspension of traffic. As the protests took an even more violent turn, more than 150 vehicles, including cars, buses, vans, ambulances and motorcycles, were set ablaze by armed protestors. As fearful citizens made calls to obtain information, inquire about the safety of their friends and family and learn of the situation on various roads, the telecommunications networks jammed due to overloading. As a result, rumours circulated about the city which further fuelled the panic and the sense of insecurity.
While officials refused to confirm the number of casualties reported from various areas, the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) confirmed having received more than a dozen people with bullet wounds. The former received more than half a dozen injured people from Shah Faisal Colony, Quaidabad and the Malir areas. The CHK reported having treated people from Soldier Bazaar, Burns Road, Lyari and Jamshed Quarters.
Meanwhile, it was reported from Nazimabad that a person was injured by a fire, but the area police and the major hospitals expressed their ignorance.
Police station stormed
The Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station was attacked by charged youths who opened fire on the facility before storming its premises. ASI Zulfiqar Ali was hit by a bullet and was rushed to hospital, where his condition is said to be stabilising.
As the violence spiralled out of control, protesters set more than 35 vehicles ablaze within the short span of an hour near the Punjab Chowrangi in Clifton, and the adjoining areas. The violence spread to areas near Bilawal House where residents reported hearing gunfire and a loud blast, sparking rumours about an attack near the residence of the slain PPP leader. The police denied that any such blast had taken place, and it later emerged that the CNG kit of one of the vehicles set afire had exploded, causing the loud blast.
Charged youths armed with guns, sticks and stones stormed the road and set a CNG pump on fire in the area. As panic gripped the posh areas of Clifton and Defence, shops, business centres and petrol pumps shut down while people kept to their homes. A local bank branch was also set on fire near Bilalwal House.
Across the city in Korangi, angry protesters also set fire to a petrol pump and a CNG station. Also in Korangi, armed motorcyclists opened fire on a passenger-loaded 17-J bus before torching it. Eyewitnesses told Dawn that a young man, in his late 20s, who had been riding in the bus, succumbed to his injuries a few minutes later. While the area police denied the man’s death, the firing and the bus torching incident were confirmed by independent sources.
In Mahmoodabad, some five vehicles, including buses, cars and a motorcycle, were intercepted on the road by armed protestors who offloaded the passengers before setting the vehicles on fire. Resistance on part of the owners of the vehicle resulted in the protesters opening fire and seizing control of the vehicles.
At least four vehicles in Liaquatabad and five in Nazimabad were similarly set ablaze amid heavy gunfire. In Nazimabad, however, terrified passengers who had been allowed to get off the two buses seized by the protestors, panicked and some half a dozen people were injured in the ensuing stampede.
In Eidgah and Garden, four vehicles were put to the flame while another five vehicles met the same fate on Rashid Minhas Road. A bus was intercepted by three armed motorcyclists and set on fire on a main road in Moinabad leading towards the Malir Cantonment. Another bus was set ablaze near Kalaboard Malir.
Azam Plaza, the Shoe Market and Soldier Bazaar also witnessed incidents of gunfire and arson, and three vehicles (one in each area) were set ablaze.
A hospital near the Kalapul area was reportedly attacked by the miscreants who attempted to set fire to the National Medical Centre. The area people said the patients and the hospital management escaped but were not able to prevent the miscreants from making the attempt.
Areas around Lyari, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Malir and Bin Qasim areas were worst affected. In Gulshan-i-Iqbal, four Chinese engineers were stranded and took refuge in the area police station. They were later evacuated safely.
City comes to a standstill
The major roads in the city witnessed severe traffic jams as hundreds of vehicles entered M.A. Jinnah Road, M.T. Khan Road, Sharea Faisal and Korangi Road as people attempted to reach their homes, fearing violent reactions of the murder of the former premier.
As the gridlock intensified, a large number of people decided to walk after parking their vehicles on main and service roads including Sharea Faisal and M.A. Jinnah Road.
A local bank branch was also set on fire in Nazimabad, along with a factory in Qasba Colony and a godown in Safoora Goth area. Later last night, more than six shops in Timber Market were set on fire in Ranchore Lines area.
Two people were reportedly shot dead in Nazimabad while a young man in North Nazimabad was hit by a stray bullet and died on the spot. Similarly, heavy firing in Lyari area also led to killing of a pedestrian. However, the police authorities in the respective areas denied such casualties.
An unknown armed person also damaged the railway track in the Bin Qasim area, which suspended the trains’ schedule and delayed more than a dozen trains scheduled to and from Karachi. A senior official said that it was too early to comment on the revival of railway traffic since the repair work could take time in such a poor law and order situation.The Pakistan Intentional Airlines also announced revised schedules for several of its flights since a majority of the passengers were unable to reach the airport due to the violence and the severe gridlock.
The pelting of stones and the burning of tyres on the National Highway and the RCD Highway forced the suspension of the traffic while buses and other vehicles coming from outside the city either stopped or returned from the toll plaza at the Super Highway.
All over the city, meanwhile, several groups of gangers and armed robbers exploited the jammed traffic situation and snatched at gunpoint cash, mobile phones and valuables from stranded commuters trapped on major roads.
The police managed to arrest a group of armed robbers who entered a branch of a local bank after firing gunshots into the air in New Town area, pretending to be emotionally charged protesters. Noman Siddiqi, the SP of Gulshan Town, said a police van on the spot traced the movement of the armed group and followed until it entered the branch. After a brief exchange of fire, the police arrested all eight people involved in the attempted robbery.
Lyari mourns
As the news of Benazir Bhutto’s death was relayed on the electronic media, touching scenes were witnessed in Lyari, considered a PPP stronghold.
Shocked by the untimely death of their leader, emotionally charged men, women and children came out from their homes and shouted slogans against the present rulers.
In the Baghdadi area, emotionally-charged women beat their chests as they mourned in the traditional Balochi manner. Shops, markets and bazaars remained closed in most parts of the town while angry youths put down road barricades.
At the same time, widespread incidents of intermittent shootings in various parts of the town spread terror and fear, prompting people to remain in their homes. Angry young men resorted to moderate to intense firing with sophisticated arms. The residents of Baghdadi, Kalri, Singoo Lane and other localities said that there had been a series of sporadic shooting when the news of Benazir Bhutto’s death was announced.
In Baghdadi, bonfires were lit on Shah Latif Bhittai Road to disrupt the movement of vehicular traffic and youths also attacked an election office of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on D.D Chaudhary Road, Baghdadi. An MQM office was also attacked in the Kalri area. Protests by angry youths were reported in different localities of the town and the participants placed burning tyres in the middle of several roads.
An NGO activist termed the assassination a great tragedy in the history of Pakistan, saying that with Benazir’s death, the chapter of democratic politics had been closed.
Meanwhile Mr Javed Memon, the chairman of the Lyari Rabita Council, said that Benazir’s sudden death, like that of her father, would always been remembered by the people of Lyari. He urged the residents of the area to maintain peace in the locality and frustrate the designs of those who were out to disrupt the harmony.
Schools, offices closed
Meanwhile, the governor of Sindh, Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan, announced a 3-day mourning period throughout the province in wake of the tragic death of the PPP chairperson. According to the announcement, all offices and educational institutions will remain closed for this period. The Sindh Minister for Finance and Information, Dewan Mohammed Yousuf Farooqui, expressed heartfelt grief and shock over the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and described it a national tragedy. He said this beastly incident deserve every condemnation possible since the country had been deprived of a great leader and twice-serving prime minister. He added that this is also the time for the people to exercise the maximum restraint to thwart the nefarious designs of elements who were doing all this to cause grave harm to Pakistan. He prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace and grant fortitude to her family and the entire nation.
Source: Dawn
Date:12/28/2007
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