KARACHI, Dec 31: Sporadic incidents of violence on Monday, followed by a rumour regarding an attempt on the life of a leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), dealt another blow to the city’s business and commercial activities which had just begun to limp towards normality. Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party stronghold, Lyari, remained tense throughout the day as protestors and law-enforcement agencies exchanged fire. The Baghdadi police station was repeatedly attacked.
After four days of violence following the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the metropolis resumed some semblance of normality on Monday morning as petrol pumps, banks, offices and the major markets, including Saddar, the Electronics’ Market and Tariq Road, re-opened. Vehicular traffic also resumed its normal flow although public transport remained thin on the city’s arteries.
At midday, however, incidents of aerial fire on M.A. Jinnah Road and the commercial areas in the vicinity caused severe traffic disruption and forced shopkeepers to close their businesses down again. Such incidents were also witnessed on Tariq Road, Malir, Sohrab Goth and other areas, while in a number of localities unidentified persons forced shopkeepers to close their businesses.
Meanwhile, a rumour regarding an attempt on the life of MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar through a bomb attack on the party’s headquarters Nine Zero caused fresh panic and gripped all the city’s localities in no time at all. Despite all the efforts made by Dr Sattar himself, who quickly appeared on various television channels, the rumour spread like wildfire and shattered the confidence of the already hesitant business community. As a result, all major commercial concerns closed down again for the rest of the day.
In Model Colony and Malir, too, tyres were burnt on the roads and shopkeepers were forced to pull down the shutters.
The tense situation resulted in a stampede-like situation on the major arteries of the city as panicking citizens, anticipating further violence, attempted to reach places of safety. Traffic jams were witnessed on Sharea Faisal, M.A. Jinnah Road, University Road and in other areas as fearful citizens broke traffic laws in their hurry.
The owners of petrol stations erected tents around their facilities to ward off any possible attack. Even petrol stations in Azizabad, an MQM stronghold, were closed after owners heard the rumour. Meanwhile, in the absence of public transport, thousands of people had to return to their homes on foot.
In the evening, however, shops reopened in several residential areas.
Sources informed Dawn that the government and the MQM attempted to persuade the unions of the major markets to resume normal business activity. However, all major shopping centres and wholesale markets remained closed for the whole day, although some commercial concerns reopened in the evening in several localities.
The president of the Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI), Irshad Bukhari, told Dawn that by midday, almost 70 per cent of the public transport was on the roads. However, he said that a bus had been set on fire in the Golimar area and such incidents of violence, coupled with the rumour, forced transporters not to ply their vehicles.
Complaining about the administration, Mr Bukhari pointed out that “despite four days of violence during which over 150 of our vehicles were torched, no government functionary or member of the police force contacted us. We have started plying buses in the absence of any sort of protection and we will continue to do so on Tuesday [today]. But the police and the government should protect us.”
The city police chief, Azhar Ali Farooqi, told Dawn that that overall law and order situation remained satisfactory in the metropolis on Monday but certain rumours had caused harassment and affected routine life. He added that the situation at Sohrab Goth, Malir, the National Highway and other localities had been normal, but there was unrest in the Lyari area.
Referring to citizens’ security, Mr Farooqi said that it was not possible to offer protection to each and every individual living in a city of over 16 million inhabitants. “The only solution lies in mobile patrolling and the police are performing these duties round the clock, all over the city,” he commented.
Meanwhile, the MQM dismissed the rumours that caused so much tension on Monday, and termed them the work of those who are against progress, peace and the development of the city.
MQM leader Faisal Subzwari told Dawn that the party and its workers had immediately relayed the information that all the rumours concerning an attempt on Dr Sattar’s life or an attack on Nine Zero were false and were aimed at destabilising the peace of the city. He claimed that life had returned to normal on Monday morning as a result of the efforts made by the MQM, but the enemies of Karachi had spread rumours which caused harassment amongst the people.
Meanwhile, police claimed to have arrested a suspect with a pistol in Azizabad area near the MQM headquarters.
According to a press release issued here on Monday, the Azizabad police signalled a suspect near Khurshid Memorial Hall in Azizabad Block 8 late on Sunday night. He tried to escape but police managed to arrest him and recovered a pistol with three bullets.
The suspect, who was identified as Sohail Ahmed, disclosed that he was a member of Moha-jir Qaumi Movement (MQM-Haqiqi).
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