Over 90 killed in Karachi, Pakistan violence in past four days

Over 90 killed in Karachi, Pakistan violence in past four days

2011-07-08 21:03:48 GMT+7 (ICT)

KARACHI, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- At least 93 people have been killed in the past four days as violence continues to spread in the port city of Karachi, Pakistan, officials said Friday.

Karachi's violence has quickly spread from Orangi Town to different areas of the city, which is Pakistan's largest and located in the country's southwestern province of Sindh. Other affected areas include Lyari, Baldia Town, Site and Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The violence and killings have been largely blamed on rival political parties Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP), which represent different ethnic groups, prompting government officials to issue a 'shoot-at-sight' order to security forces, the Express Tribune reported.

In addition to local security forces, government officials ordered the deployment of over 1,000 members of the federally-backed paramilitary group Frontier Constabulary to help guard the city. Earlier, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said 89 people had been arrested since Thursday night, when targeted operations were launched.

Terrified residents are reportedly running out of basic supplies such as food and water because they are afraid of leaving their homes. Poor and densely populated areas in the western area of Karachi have been the most affected.

On Tuesday, reports said at least 13 people were killed and 30 others were injured when unknown gunmen fired at two buses in the city. There were also reports of grenade attacks on houses and shops, as the wave of violence have forced authorities to close most of gas stations over security concerns. Long queues of cars and motorcycles were seen in front of open petrol stations in the city.

The United States expressed deep concern about the escalating violence in Karachi, calling on all parties "to refrain from further violence and work toward a peaceful resolution of differences." The U.S. Ambassador in Islamabad Cameron Munter extended condolences to the families and friends of the innocent victims, which have included women and children.

On June 27, MQM parted ways with the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) after more than three years due to a dispute over the past Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections in Karachi. MQM's split triggered fears of violence, and on Wednesday, an opposition coalition against the ruling PPP was formed by rival parties MQM and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

MQM said that the PPP government's "dictatorial and undemocratic" approach prompted its separation from the coalition, and the two former rival parties - PML-N and MQM - set aside their differences and decided to work together "in the best interest of the country," as said by MQM's Haider Abbas Rizvi.

MQM and PPP, led by President Asif Ali Zardari, had previously formed a coalition government in 2008. Earlier in the year, MQM, which has 25 seats in the 342-member Parliament, left the coalition, only to rejoin a few weeks later.

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