A shameful attack against humanity in Karachi, Indiscriminate firing on peaceful Mohabbat-e-Sindh Rally, 12 killed, 30 injured, initial reports

Karachi plunges into violence; 11 killed

KARACHI: At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 injured as violence erupted in several parts of the old city following firing on Awami Tehreek’s ‘Mohabbat Sindh’ rally, Geo News reported.

Unknown armed men opened fire on the rally when it reached old city area. Hospital sources have confirmed receiving 11 dead bodies and many injured.

A reporter and a cameraman of a private news channel were among the injured. Several shops and vehicles have also been set ablaze by the miscreants. ….

Read more » The News

More details » BBC urdu

Sindh – Lyari crisis

AS the police-led operation against ‘gangsters’ in Lyari entered its sixth day on Wednesday, the humanitarian plight of this forsaken Karachi neighbourhood’s residents has become a matter of serious concern. People have been without food, water, power and gas for the past several days while stray gunfire poses a constant threat. Many of those who could do so have already fled Lyari. The city has witnessed protests against the operation, with demonstrators clashing with the law-enforcers. Protesters claim the action is partial, targeting a particular ethnic group. And while the Sindh government announced it had started relief work for the hapless people on Tuesday, it appears no plan was chalked out to protect residents before the police went inside the area last week.

Mirza Under Fire; May be Arrested

– By Aijaz Ahmed

Islamabad: The sayings that ‘there are no permanent friends or foes in politics’ and that the ‘politics has no heart’ have been proven true so many times in the history, specially in the recent history of Pakistan. The same is happening in Pakistan currently as erstwhile friends have turned into foes in the Zulfiqar Mirza case.

What if the party is weakened or if the government is considered as anti people? The party stalwarts don’t worry about that. The only problem they see today is Zulfiqar Mirza and they want to defeat him and stop any further damage from his revelations. It may sound unbelievable but the PPP leaders are trying to fix him up through the civilian and military intelligence agencies.

Mirza is one of the dearest friends of President Zardari, the fact that he has always mentioned prominently whenever he has spoken after August 28, and probably he is the only one for whom the president himself physically fought with some people in Hyderabad in his youth days; perhaps for this sole reason some PPP stalwarts had a grudge against Mirza and now they have got an opportunity to not only break this relationship, but also to settle their old scores with him. Some of the party stalwarts, against whom Mirza spoke with courage, have adopted the methodology, which is not rare, rather it is the old style of using intelligence agencies to settle the old scores.

The sources placed in high government ranks have revealed that the IB and some army intelligence agencies have been asked by federal interior minister Rehman Malik as also desired by few ministers from Sindh cabinet and some federal ministers, that the record of the licenses Mirza issued during his tenure as home minister of Sindh and his other activities particularly in Lyari and against the MQM must be provided so that they could seek permission from the president for a legal action against him.

The agencies, according to the sources have gathered some record, which reportedly suggests that Mirza had visited Panama during his recent visit to the United States. A report is also being prepared to conclude that Mirza was building a private militia with the help of Uzair Baloch of Peoples Amn Committee and some other PPP workers from Lyari. The latter has reportedly moved to Iran ever since the operation started. This information is yet to be confirmed as it was revealed by Rehman Malik and who will believe him after what Mirza said about him?

The agencies will not only prepare a report, but will recommend an action against Mirza on the basis of which legal proceedings will be initiated, sources maintained adding that an arrest of former home minister Sindh may not be ruled out as the present lot of the PPP stalwarts who are at helm of the affairs can go to any extent against a person like Mirza who not only damaged their position, but also made their future gloomy, and mind it ‘politics has no heart’ and there are no permanent foes or friends in the politics.

Courtesy: → Indus Herald