Six Awami National Party (ANP) activists were among those killed in Tuesday’s violence.

The latest wave of target killings in Karachi remains unabated and has claimed 41 lives in last four days. These incidents started soon after the presidential announcement that local government elections would be held in Sindh within four months. Rival political parties indulged in a vicious turf war, soon after the announcement and left the city bloodied.

The affected areas included Manghopir, Pak Colony, Orangi, Sir Syed Town, Liaquatabad, Azizabad, Taimuria, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Shah Faisal Colony.

The Sindh home department has vested the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) with powers enshrined in the Anti-Terrorists Act (ATA) and given them charge of 26 police stations.

Sindh government had already imposed Section 144 in the city. Anyone found violating these orders would be booked under Section 188.

In exercise of powers vested under Section-10 of the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance, 1959, the government of Sindh has pleased to confer upon the Pakistan Rangers Sindh all such powers as envisaged under Section 5 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 in the jurisdiction of following police stations of Karachi with immediate effect for a period of one month which may be extended.

Towns that are under Pakistan Rangers Sindh are Nazimabad, Gulberg, New Karachi Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Shara-e-Faisal, Landhi, Bin Qasim, Korangi, Orangi, Baldia, North, Liaquatabad and SITE.

Police Stations under the Pakistan Rangers Sindh include: Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Shah Faisal Colony, Shara-e-Faisal, Landhi, Khokhrapar, Malir City, Saudabad, Korangi Industrial Area, Awami Colony, Pakistan Bazar, Orangi, Peerabad, Mominabad, Iqbal Market, Mochko, Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan, Taimuria, North Nazimabad, Azizabad, Gulberg, Kohwaja Ajmer Nagri, Sir Syed, Nazimabad, Gulbahar, Rizvia and SITE-A.

After the aggressive outburst of Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza and Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani in the Sindh Assembly, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani hold a meeting with senior PPP leaders and federal ministers at the Presidency to discuss prevailing political tension in Karachi.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Naveed Qamar and Raja Pervez Ashraf, , PPP Secretary General Jahangir Badar, Leader of the House in Senate Nayyar Bokhari ,President’s Political Secretary Rukhsana Bangash and spokesman Farhatullah Babar.

Dr Mirza’s reaction on “politically motivated targeted killings”(as described by him) in Karachi and Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani’s remarks against the Karachi city government led the MQM ministers to stage a walkout from the Sindh Assembly.

Later on the same day, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani spoke to Muttahida Qaumi Movement(MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on phone .

According to a statement issued from MQM’s London Secretariat, “Prime Minster Gilani has regretted the inappropriate behavior of PPP provincial ministers during the Sindh Assembly’s session.”

In a statement, he said the country was passing through a critical stage and the need of the hour was to adopt policy of reconciliation not confrontation.

The MQM Rabita committee has alleged that, “conspiracies are being hatched to disturb the peace of Karachi.”

Mr Hussain spoke to MQM leaders at the party headquarters in Karachi, and advised them against issuing provocative statements.

Prime Minster Gilani while speaking to Mr. Altaf Hussain said, “President Asif Ali Zardari has reprimanded Agha Siraj Durrani and Zulfiqar Ali Mirza in front of me. We all want to go along together, but you two are destroying my reconciliatory policy. I have no doubt in my mind that we will be partners in future also and we don’t want to waste our strength by opposing the MQM.”

Prime Minster Gilani also spoke to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah over the phone who told him that a meeting had been convened on Thursday to discuss the breakdown of law and order in Karachi.

The president told Dr Mirza that the MQM’s cooperation was necessary to save the PPP government both in Sindh and at the Centre. It is also reported that the president angrily asked Dr Mirza not to spoil his efforts for reconciliation.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah met the Sindh governor immediately. Ishrat-Ul-Ebad and Qaim Ali Shah expressed their determination to strengthen the reconciliation process in Sindh. It was pledged in the meeting that all the coalition partners in the province would continue their efforts for the development of the province.

The Sindh governor and the chief minister, while taking serious notice of the recent killings in Karachi, ordered action against terrorists without any discrimination.

These targeted killings were triggered on Friday night in Qasba Colony and Orangi Town, when two political activists were shot down by unidentified armed men.

According to reports, this violent series of killings escalated on Friday night at Qasba Colony, when activists of Awami National Party(ANP) were engaged in an opening ceremony of new party office. The situation turned violent when two rival groups exchanged intense firing claiming two lives. The deceased were Mohammed Javed of the MQM and Sharif Khan of the ANP.

Media sources confirmed that 15 bodies were bought to the hospitals, 4 out of which remained unknown and have been shifted to the morgue for identification and autopsy.

On Saturday morning armed men forced closure of shops in Orangi Town, Peerabad, Qasba Colony, Paposh Nagar, Kali Pehari and Banaras areas. According to the fire office, a mini-bus of route G-7, bearing registration number JE-3407, was torched in Sector-11L, Orangi Town.

SHO Mominabad Shabbair Ahmed identified the deceased as Tooti Khan while injured person was Raaz Mohammad, who were attacked by armed men when they came to Mominabad No-5 to purchase steel.

Meanwhile, another non-political person, Naek Zada was gunned down at Orangi Town in C-1 area.

A private TV channel employee , Sajid Ali, was also shot dead by gunmen, in Sharifabad police limits, when he was standing outside his uncle’s house in Liquatabad Furniture Market.

The killings have been condemned and blamed on an unknown political party by both Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Capital City Police Officer(CCPO) Waseem Ahmed said,“we have been pursuing the proposal to review the law about the possession of illegal weapons and to devise a mechanism to seize such arms.” He has confirmed seven killings in these incidents of violence.

MQM spokesperson alleged that “an ethnic party is harassing Urdu-speaking people, mainly in the Qasba Colony and Orangi Town areas. They killed MQM activist Friday night, and we demand that the prime minister, federal interior minister and chief minister order action against the killers.”

ANP party’s spokesman claimed that, “in Qasba Colony, Aligarh and other parts of the city the same people were targeting and killing Pakhtuns. The victims were poor people such as labourers and were on their way to work when activists of a political party gunned them down for no reason.”

Lawlessness and inability of the security institutions, yet again proved that the people of Karachi are not safe anywhere. Target killings claimed 40 lives earlier this month.

(1) attempting to kill United States nationals in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2332(b) (Count One);
(2) attempting to kill United States officers and employees in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1114 (Count Two);
(3) armed assault of United States officers and employees in
violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(b) (Count Three);
(4) discharging a firearm during a crime of violence in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 924(c) (Count Four);
and (5) assaulting United States officers and employees in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a) (Counts Five through Seven).

Government’s position:

“The charges stem from the defendant’s apprehension on July 17, 2008 by the ANP in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Upon being arrested, the ANP recovered a number of items from the defendant, certain of which were provided to the United States military. These items included a number of handwritten and pre-printed documents, women’s personal effects, various chemicals (certain of which tested positive for sodium cyanide), and a computer thumb drive which contained various electronic documents. Based in part on its review of these items, the United States military contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) to assist in interviewing and identifying the individual whom the ANP had detained (later determined to be the defendant).”

“The following day, a team of United States military personnel and FBI agents (the “Interview Team”) traveled to the ANP Compound at which the defendant was held, in order to interview and identify her. Eventually the Interview Team was directed to a second floor room
at the ANP Compound. Unbeknownst to the Interview Team, the defendant was left unsecured in the room, behind a curtain that partitioned it. After the Interview Team entered the room, the
defendant grabbed one of the Team member’s (the “Warrant Officer”) M-4 rifle, and attempted to fire, and fired, it at members of the Interview Team. In response, the Warrant Officer shot the defendant, and she was subsequently subdued. During and immediately after this shooting, the defendant repeatedly screamed anti-American statements, including her desire to kill Americans. The Interview Team then brought the defendant to a military base, where her wounds were treated. The same day, two members of the Interview Team brought the defendant to another military base for medical treatment, and then to Bagram Airbase, where she remained until August 4, when she was transferred to this District.”