KARACHI, June 17: Leaders of various political parties have condemned the killing of Munawwar Hussain Suhrawardy, the provincial information secretary of the PPP and spokesman for the Bilawal House, and demanded immediate arrest of culprits.

The PPP described the killing as failure of the provincial government and law-enforcement agencies in maintaining law and order in the metropolis. The party's Sindh chief and opposition leader in the provincial assembly, Nisar Khuhro, and a former chief minister of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, said that it was target killing which had further exposed the ineffectiveness of the law-enforcement agencies.

The government's haplessness is evident from the fact that Mr Suhrawardy was killed in an area where police and Rangers were present. Meanwhile, the party's city chief has announced three-day mourning for the deceased and pitching a camp at the Regal Chawk. Mr Khuhro has asked his comrades to exercise restraint while registering their protest.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain condemned Mr Suhrawardy's killing and termed it 'open terrorism'. Referring to the recent explosions, armed attacks and bloodshed, he said in a statement that all these acts of terrorism were aimed at destroying peace in Karachi and destabilize the province.

"The elements involved in such activities are enemies of not only Sindh but also the entire country, he remarked. He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, PPP leaders and party workers, and urged President Musharraf, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali, Governor Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Arbab Rahim to ensure arrest the killers.

The MQM coordination committee described the killing as a conspiracy to destroy peace in Karachi. It recalled the series of terrorist acts and killings over the last few weeks and observed that there were certain forces which were bent upon proving that 'Karachi is a violent city' in order to keep investors and investment away from the city and the province.

The PML-N termed the Mr Suhrawardy's killing 'failure of the government'. The central committee member of the party, Sardar Rahim, who is also Vice-President of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), Sindh chapter, and another leader Malik Naeem Awan said that target killing had become order of the day which clearly showed that writ of government did not exist.

"It seems as if the city has been leased out by the government to terrorists," they added. Provincial chief of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek Dr S. M. Zamir, and other PAT leaders Qazi Zahid Hussain, Shaikh Mohammad Iqbal, Masood Ahmad Osmani and Syed Ausaf Ali said that the rulers had failed to provide safety and security to citizens.

The incidents of terrorism taking place in Karachi one after the other had made the government and administration helpless, they said, adding: "The government has surrendered to the terrorists."

Mohajir Qaumi Movement chief Afaq Ahmad said that Karachi continued to be the victim to 'the government-sponsored terrorism'. He said that the situation appeared to be the outcome of handing over powers to a minority party by creating an artificial majority for it.

Vice-President of the PML Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh said that for everyone, killing of a political leader was a matter to be pondered over. He appealed to all political forces to cooperate with the law-enforcement agencies in arresting terrorists and killers.