Bloodbath in Karachi

The city witnessed a bloodbath on Saturday as at least 35 people were killed and scores more were injured in armed clashes between pro-Musharraf and Opposition activists in different areas of the city.
The whole city in general and major roads in particular turned into battlefield as Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who is facing a presidential reference against him, arrived in the city to participate in the Supreme Court’s Jubilee Celebrations. Although the city had been tense for two days after some unidentified assailants had attacked the house of CJ’s lawyer Munir A Malik, the situation started turning extremely violent when a local PML-N leader was shot dead in Model Colony in the wee hours of Saturday.
The activists of MQM and opposition parties, including the PML-N, PPP, MMA and ANP, had started gathering on main points across the city and initially minor clashes were reported. But as soon as the Chief Justice’s plane landed in the city at 12 p.m., the activists turned violent attacking each other with gunfire.
Angry mobs also torched a police post despite the presence of 15,000 paramilitary troops and police on the streets.
One of the fiercest clashes took place at Golden Town when an opposition parties’ rally confronted an MQM rally with weapons, resulting the killing of as many as 13 people. The second major incident occurred at Malir Halt, also near the airport, when Awami National Party’s rally came face to face with their rivals. At least 10 people were killed on the scene while several others were injured.
The news of Golden Town and Malir Halt clashes spread all over the city like jungle-fire and the activists of Opposition parities attacked a small MQM rally at Star Gate (Old Airport) where three MQM activists were killed on the scene.
The dead bodies and injured people were lying on the streets for long time as heavy firing suspended ambulances service. A driver of Edhi Ambulance Service was also shot dead near Malir Halt when he was rushing an injured to a hospital.
The clashes erupted in adjacent areas of the airport as activists of both the parties were engaged in exchange of gunfire for several hours using semi-automatic and automatic weapons as well as hand grenades.
According to eyewitnesses, indiscriminate firing incidents were reported at Shahrah-e-Faisal, Banaras, Patal Para, Guru Mandir, Shah Faisal Colony, Malir, FTC, Star Gate, Sohrab Goth and Golden Town. The incidents were reported between 12pm to 5pm.
The area from Qaidabad to Drug Road Bridge became another major battlefield where more than 25 casualties took place and hundreds sustained injuries.
Guru Mandir area was the worst-affected in terms of gunbattles where fight continued for around four hours and activists fought each other in three dimensions. The MQM activists were reportedly in the middle while Pashtoon activists fired at them from Business Recorder Road and Jehangir Road although some people from Jamshaid road also fired bullets.
A central committee member of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, Muhammad Nawaz Kanrani, was also killed and more than a dozen women workers were injured by unknown assailants while they were on their way to airport to welcome the Chief Justice in the area of Bahadur Village near Malir.
Surprisingly, police and Rangers who were deployed on sensitive spots, were not seen when the gunfights were at their peak.
Dozens of buses, cars, motorcycles and other vehicles were also set on fire by angry mobs.
AFP adds: Private Aaj television showed pictures of gunmen shooting at its office in Karachi and of its correspondents diving for cover with mobile phones clamped to their ears.
“Armed men have been continuously attacking our offices for a couple of hours and the authorities have completely failed to maintain law and order,” said the station’s current affairs director Talat Hussain.