Karachi, At least eight persons were killed and over 15 injured including Naeem Lahoti, wanted to police in various cases and Malik Mushtaq, brother of former Nazim Malik Muhammad Khan, as unrest restarted in Lyari on Friday after targeted operation was carried out by Crime Investigation Department (CID) police to apprehend criminals and restore peace in the area.
The operation, assisted by Frontier Constabulary, started at around five in the morning.
According to police incidents of counter firing occurred and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) were fired on police due to which two people were killed and many got injured who were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi.
PPP leader Nabil Gabol while returning from funeral prayer of Malik Muhammad Khan Niazi was attacked by armed persons at Lyari. In the incident Nabil Gabol remained unhurt and said he knows how to deal with such criminals who are giving off-the-cuff reaction to police operation.
Malik Mushtaq was killed while he was going to attend funeral prayer on his bike.
In Pak Colony a police party was attacked while patrolling when they tried to stop by criminals placing blockades in ways. The criminals ran into streets and then fired back on the police due to which our two officials Abdul Hamid, 45 and Shah Nawaz, 38 got injured said Haidar a duty officer at Pak Colony police station.
The injured were rushed to hospital where Abdul Hamid succumbed to injuries while the other one is under treatment, area police said.
In separate incident a police Constable Waqas Ahmed was killed by unknown persons.
A gangster Naeem Lahoti was killed in an encounter with police.
A young footballer namely Asif was shot dead in firing incident near Gabol Park in the Kalakot area.
Two men were fatally shot injured near Lyari Degree College who died in hospital during treatment. The deceased were identified as Fida Hussain, 24, and Shoaib, 28.
In a grenade attack near Taj Masjid at AGra Taj area five people were wounded. They were identified as Abid, Siraj, Muhammad Ali, Shafi and Waqas. Meanwhile a person identified as 25-year-old Ali Sultan was shot injured in the same area.
Some other injured were identified as Kamar, 40, at Kalakot, Usman, 35, s/o Ashraf at Patel Para Road and Arif, 25 s/o Noor Muhammad at Lea Market. A policeman Ghulam Dastagir son of Usman was shot dead at Cheel Chowk late this evening.
CID SSP Chaudhary Aslam Khan was also present during the operation whereas IG Sindh visited Cheel Chowk in Lyari and said that this is not the fight between police and public rather the purpose of the fight is to curb the crime from the area.
The operation was carried out in the areas of Moosa Lane, Lea Market, Nawa Lane, Miran Naka, Cheel Chowk, Kalakot, Baghdadi, Agra Taj, Bihar Colony and others.
Reportedly the criminal elements attempted to force common residents of Lyari to take to streets to stage protest against the targeted operation.
Police made about twenty five arrest and recovered weapons in the operation.
Habib Jan, a leader of Lyari while talking to PPI said the operation is an attempt to stop people from attending Peace March which they were holding on Friday from Tower to Quiad-e-Azam Mausoleum.
He alleged that police was supporting Arshad Papo gang through the operation.
He said Lyari is under attack, terrorist groups are under police uniform carrying the operation. Nawa-Lane totally is controlled by them.
He demanded army should move and take over situation; otherwise it would be a great loss of innocent Lyari people .
In the light of the ongoing unrest, examinations of class nine which were postponed on April 14 and re-scheduled for Friday were postponed again.
