Life paralyzed in Karachi: 22 killed in rain-related incidents

JULY 19 - Karachi rains have broken the 30-year record and the rain-related death toll has reached 22 with more than 60 reported injured.

The News has reported that the Karachi airport phones went dead after the rains and the citizens were facing hardship in enquiring about the flights schedules.

City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal took tour of different parts of the city in the wee hours of Sunday to take stock of the situation following the heavy downpour.

Earlier, he advised the citizens not to come out on streets until the standing water was drained out from the roads and streets.

According to news reports and information reaching us, Karachi plunged into darkness following suspension of power supply from Wapda that resulted in complete collapse of the KESC system.

A complete blackout in the city was caused by a fault in the 550kV transmission line after heavy rains near Multan which suspended KESC's link with Jamshoro.

Power supply from all units of Bin Qasim Thermal Power Plants and Korangi Thermal Power Stations remained disrupted for quite sometime. Hub Chowki link is the only one still providing nominal amount of electricity to the city.

Meanwhile, twenty-two people were killed and dozens injured in rain-related incidents on Saturday. It was the first rain of the monsoon season that lashed the city paralysing it completely.

More than 3 inches of rain was recorded on Saturday and the downpour spell is to continue Sunday also including in Sindh, the Met office reported today.

According to AAJ TV channel, five people including a child and her mother were killed and 34 injured due to roof and wall collapse in Orangi and Baldia Town.

Twenty-four houses collapsed due to heavy rain in Orangi, Baldia, Surjani Town, and Ranchore Line.

Quoting hospital sources, the channel claimed that seven people including a boy and his father were electrocuted. A young man was drowned in the sea. His body was later washed ashore and taken to the hospital for autopsy. In two other incidents, a person drowned at Hawkesbay while a body with gun shots marks was brought to hospital from Lyari, ARY reported.

A portion of a sixth floor of a building collapsed and fell on an adjacent house in Ramswami area of Runchor Line. As a result sleeping in the house a man named Badar, his wife, Rani, their two children Rehman, 5, and Rudaba, 7 were killed while Mohsin, 10 was injured, The News reported today.

Long queues of uncountable jammed buses, cars, rickshaws, hi-roof vehicles, motorbikes were seen stranded on many roads of the metropolis in over knee-deep rainwater which was flowing from one road onto the other even onto footpaths because of the drainage system's failure.

The deteriorated situation created immense difficulties for the general public who went on foot to wade through knee-deep rainwater to reach their destinations.

Streets and small alleys of Keamari, Lyari, Bin Qasim and Gadap towns were to have been completely inundated.

On M.A. Jinnah road, Business Recorder Road, Guru Mandir roundabout, Kharadar road in front of Edhi's central office, Numaish roundabout, under-construction Jail roundabout rainwater overflowed footpaths, according to AAJ TV.

Roads in Landhi, Malir, Nazimabad, SITE and other parts of the city were also reported to be flooded. However, later on vehicular traffic jam started easing as rain stopped and accumulated rainwater from roads started flowing into gutters.

However, in city areas where new roads have been constructed along with laying of new drainage system, there had been no water accumulation.


According to ARY, "the City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal visited various Towns and found the situation satisfactory saying that it had been due to the development works done by the Haq Parast leadership during the last 4 years".

Fire erupts at fireworks godown in Karachi

JULY 15 - ARY TV reports that that fire erupted at fireworks godown in Karachi’s congested Khori Garden in Old Town area on Wednesday.

Several persons are said to be trapped in the building. Fire tenders have reached the area and firemen were said to be trying to extinguish the blaze in the three-storey building with eight fire tenders and a snorkle. Rescue operation of trapped inside is also on the way.

The building has residential apartments at upper floors and shops at the ground floor.

It is not clear yet whether the fire is accidental or a foul play.

Karachi remains tense due to continued targeted killings of rival political workers as well as massive load shedding.

The local bodies government led by MQM has been suspended by the provincial government but MQM has demanded that polls be held within 3 months.

Earlier reports said they were in support of local govt suspension with administrators to be appointed in place of Nazims.

Developing...

Three killed in continued Karachi target killings

JULY 15 - A 57-year-old councillor of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was shot dead in an attack near his home in Ramaswami on Tuesday.

Unidentified men shot dead 57-year-old Sirajuddin at Hoti Market in Ranchore Lane, in the Nabi Buksh police precincts. Station House Officer (SHO) Wasim Ahmed said the deceased was the general councillor of UC-6 in Saddar Town, and was associated with the MQM.

Witnesses said the victim, Sirajuddin, son of Nizamuddin, was standing at a shop on Hakim Qazi Yaseen Road, near Hoti Market, in the remit of the Nabi Bux police when at around 5.30pm three gunmen on two motorcycles sprayed him with bullets.

The witnesses said that two of the assailants, who wore helmets, opened fire on the victim, the father of six daughters and two sons. They said the attackers rode away after their swift operation as people ran for shelter after the shooting.

Separately, two men who owned separate private schools in Orangi Town were gunned down in targeted killing in Baldia Town No 9 in the Saeedabad police precincts. The victims were identified as Fawad and Allah Wasaiyo.

Suspecting that the cause behind the murders could be personal enmity, SHO Zahid Hussain Soomro said the victims were not affiliated with any political party.

Rehman Malik says target killings won’t be tolerated

Target killings in Karachi will not be tolerated and stern action will be taken against anyone implicated in the act, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Tuesday.

He said this while talking to the media after meeting with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad at Governor’s House.

Responding to a question, Malik said the Sindh governor was not being replaced. “Ishratul Ebad is standing next to me and he will remain the governor,” he said.

The governor said the government had taken effective measures in the last three days to stop target killings in the city. He said that President Asif Ali Zardari and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain were in contact and agreed that strict measures were needed for safeguarding the people.

Commission set up: Separately, talking to a private TV channel, Malik said that President Asif Ali Zardari had taken notice of the target killings in Karachi and had set up a judicial commission to investigate the matter.

Malik also called on Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at Chief Minister’s House, where Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza was also present.

Addressing a press conference at the CM House, Malik said the number of Rangers and police in the city had been increased to control the situation. He said the families of victims of target killings would be given plots and opportunities to work in the police force.

The minister said the MQM chief had assured him of his complete cooperation in this regard.

Malik urged the community at large to use their mobile phones and make a video of any target killings that they witnessed, sending the same to the Interior Ministry.

Reward: He added that if the video evidence proved to be accurate, the person who sent the video would be rewarded Rs 500,000.

He said the government was not conducting any operations in Karachi and it had only made some security arrangements.

Former Karachi councillor, two sons among four dead in targeted killing

JULY 9 - A senior member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and former councillor of Landhi No 4 with his two sons and a pedestrian were killed when unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on them at Zaman Town within the limits of Landhi police station.

Also today, a MQM-Haqiqi man Nadeem, 32, son of Nazir was gunned down at a furniture market in Liaquatabad No 4 within the limits of Sharifabad police station.

MQM-H (Amir Khan Group) Information Secretary Feroz Haider said the victim had been a former member of MQM-H and was associated with Unit 162, Liaquatabad. However, Haider added that the deceased had tendered an apology to a rival party and was allowed to live in the area.

Police have termed both incidents as part of the ongoing target killings of political workers.

Landhi police sources said Muttahida leader Haji Jalal, 65, was sitting outside a carrom board shop with his two sons, Abdullah Jalal and Usman Jalal when the assailants riding on two motorcycles reached there and sprayed them with bullets.

A passer-by Suhail also sustained serious bullet injuries.

All the four injured were rushed to JPMC where they succumbed to their injuries during the treatment.

Jalal was elected a counsellor of Landhi 4 in 1987, and was a renowned leader of the MQM. Jalal had been detained in Central Jail Karachi for several years in the case of Major Kaleem, reported Daily Times.

Following the incident, tension gripped Landhi, where armed men forced shopkeepers to pull down shutters.

Intermittent firing was also heard in the area.