At least 25 people, including two policemen, were killed in the incidents of target killing in various parts of Pakistan’s port city of Karachi, the police said on Thursday.
Due to prevailing law and order situation, all the educational institutions in Karachi remained closed on Thursday and examinations have also been postponed. Enraged p
eople torched several vehicles in various parts of the city.
Fresh spate of targeted killings swept across the city on Wednesday that continued till Thursday morning. Life came to a grinding halt after massive firing in different parts of the metropolis created panic among citizens.
The Awami National Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which have a history of bitter relations, say their members were shot dead by rival supporters.
The ANP and MQM are parties in a coalition led by President Asif Ali Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) ruling Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital.
MQM represents the Urdu-speaking majority and is Karachi’s dominant party. ANP represents an estimated two million ethnic Pashtuns who have migrated to the city from northwest Pakistan. The clashes started after gunmen shot dead an ANP worker late on Tuesday night.
In February, similar targeted killings claimed 37 lives of the two parties’ workers.
Meanwhile, Sindh governor Ishratul Ebad Khan and chief minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah have expressed deep concerns over the bloodshed in the city and issued directives to the authorities concerned for taking remedial measures for bringing peace in the city.
On Thursday, Rangers were awarded with the powers of police under which they will be entitled to conduct raids, detain and interrogate suspects at their own, said a notification issued by the Sindh provincial government.