KARACHI: One man was killed and 57 others wounded in aerial firing in Karachi as people started celebrating the country’s Independence Day on August 14, official said on Sunday.
Aerial firing is not uncommon in Pakistan on joyous occasions where the practice has claimed lives on several occasions in the past.
According to reports Nek Mohamad, 50, was killed near Teen Talwar Underpass by celebratory gunfire.
“We received 57 persons with bullet injuries brought at three major government hospitals in the metropolis on late Saturday night,” said police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, adding that several of the injured were in critical condition.
Breaking down the count, she said that 15 injured people, including three females aged between 15 to 50 years, were brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, adding that some of them were critical and would require long-term treatment.
Meanwhile, Dr Syed said 24 cases of aerial firing were reported at the medico-legal section of Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre. Three of the injured were females.
She said the injured were aged between eight to 60 years, including three females. Dr Syed added that five of them suffered bullet wounds on their heads while three others received injuries on their abdomen.
Similarly, she said 18 people injured from aerial firing were reported at the medico-legal section of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. The injured were aged between 10 to 50 years with six of them being females.
Meanwhile, an Edhi Foundation spokesperson said in a statement that their ambulances had shifted 34 injured from different areas of the city to hospitals.
Out of them, four people had suffered bullet wounds in Orangi Town, two in Liaquatabad, three in Lyari, four in Shah Faisal Colony, and one each in DHA Phase 2, Dhoraji Colony, Urdu Bazaar, Karimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and other areas.
In an unusual warning, Pakistan Air Force told people earlier this month not to indulge in the practice since it could damage its aircraft.
“Aerial firing during wedding ceremonies and joyous festivals like the independence day not only causes loss of human lives but also sometimes harm the aircraft, which can cause significant damage to the defense capability of the country,” it said in a statement.
PAF also noted that aerial firing was a punishable offense, adding that as patriotic citizens it was everyone’s duty to avoid it.
