KARACHI: After a day of violent protest on Sohrab Goth, the situation in Karachi remained tense on Friday. Contingents of paramilitary Rangers and police were deployed on the site. However, some miscreants managed to pelt stones and smash the windows of public buses on University Road, forcing their operations to shut. At least one passenger vehicle was also torched.
To ensure that no fallout of yesterday’s violence is witnessed today, the police conducted a flag march at Sohrab Goth while the Rangers also patrolled different areas to maintain law and order.
The riots in different areas of Karachi prompted a response from the provincial government who appealed to not give incidents an “ethnic color” while warning miscreants of stern action.
Addressing a news conference on Friday, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said two people involved in the incident have been arrested while four others were on the run.
He added that after the incident, some people forced shut hotels in Hyderabad. Some 28 of them were taken into custody.
Meanwhile, the police said they have registered three cases against 40 unidentified suspects for Thursday’s violence while more than 190 suspects have been detained.
The police in the first information report (FIR) said during the violent protest on Sohrab Goth, some armed protesters snatched arms and ammunition from the law enforcement agencies (LEAs).
Meanwhile, The Awami National Party (ANP) on Friday came out to denounce the recent ethnic violence, declaring that those involved are terrorists irrespective of the language they speak.
Addressing a joint news conference where ANP expressed support for Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in the upcoming NA-245 by-polls, both parties condemned the violence.
How has it all started
Violent clashes, that erupted following an argument over a food order in Hyderbad leaving one dead, spread to Karachi on Thursday afternoon. An angry group of protesters pelted vehicles with stones at Superhighway near Al Asif Square and set tyres ablaze to block the highway for all kinds of vehicular traffic.
As a result of the blockage, a severe traffic jam was reported in northern parts of the city.
A similar protest was reported on National Highway near Shah Latif Town, causing a traffic jam on the highway.
An FIR registered at Bhittai Nagar Police Station in Hyderabad by Salaam stated that on July 12, his brother, Bilal Kaka, along with his friends, Sarfaraz alias Jani, Imran Malik, Zeeshan Jamali and Waqar Patoli, had gone to the Super Salateen Hotel near the Hyderabad Bypass for dinner.
There, the group of friends claimed, a hotel staffer identified as Bakhtiyar – son of hotel owner Shahsawar – allegedly misbehaved with them.
When they complained about him to Shahsawar, he did not take any action. Instead, Shahsawar allegedly defended Bakhtiyar and told the group to either have their dinner quietly or leave. Kaka’s friends told Salaam that a heated argument then ensued between the group and the hotel’s owner and staff. Meanwhile, one of Shahsawar’s sons, identified as Malhaar, arrived. Subsequently, the hotel owner, his sons Bakhtiyar and Malhaar along with hotel staff allegedly encircled the group. Around five to six staffers armed themselves with iron rods while one person carried a firearm.
Salaam claimed that per Kaka’s friends, Shahsawar allegedly pointed toward Kaka and directed his staff to attack. Subsequently, Bakhtiyar allegedly attacked Kaka with an iron rod.
Simultaneously, the other staff of the hotel also attacked Kaka’s friends, injuring them.
When Kaka and his friends tried to flee, Shahsawar, who had allegedly picked up an iron rod, also attacked them.
Salaam claimed when all members of the group fell unconscious because of their injuries, an assailant allegedly fired into the air to scatter the crowd and other customers at the hotel.
After the gathering crowd had dispersed, the assailants checked the injured one by one. When they discovered that Kaka was non-responsive, the assailants once again fired into the air and fled.
