Emeutes à Karachi janvier 2009

carte-pakistan

Riots at Sabzi Mandi: Killing of ANP man sparks violence

22 janvier 2009
By Faraz Khan

KARACHI: A ward in-charge of the Awami National Party (ANP) for New Sabzi Mandi was killed in a firing incident on Wednesday afternoon, after which riots broke out in the area.

The violence created panic among citizens and police detained over a dozen miscreants red-handed. Following the incident, the ANP announced a three-day mourning period, due to which the New Sabzi Mandi will remain closed for three days.

Thirty-five year old Ashraf Agha was shot in the head at 12:20 pm at a fruit section of the New Sabzi Mandi. He died on the way to Patel Hospital in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Later, his body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for legal formalities, where scores of ANP workers had gathered. Following the incident, an angry mob started rioting in and outside the Mandi. They blocked the Super Highway and pelted stones at passing vehicles. They also set ablaze tyres and opened aerial fire.

The angry mob blocked the flow of traffic; however no major incident was reported. There were reports of mugging, but law enforcers brought the situation under control within two hours.

A heavy contingent of law enforcers arrived immediately at the scene and cordoned off the area. They baton charged the unruly mob and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

“We took strict action as the mob had taken law into their own hands,” Sohrab Goth DSP Irfan Bahadur told Daily Times.

“We caught some miscreants red-handed and we have detained them.”

The DSP added that details were being gathered about the incident but added that the incident had no links to ethnicity or politics.

People present at the hospital told reporters that Agha was present at a jirga, that was being held to resolve a case of borrowed money that was not returned. The accused Ashraf Sattar after an exchange of hot words opened fire onto Agha and fled. According to witnesses, Sattar was angry that that the decision taken by the jirga was not in his favour.

Cases will be registered against the miscreants, Gadap Town SP Rao Anwar told Daily Times. “We have seen the rioters and know everyone,” the SP said.

“Raids will be conducted at their residences to arrest them.” The DSP said that the deceased had a dispute with Ashraf Sattar over exchange of money. The accused Sattar is an ‘Aarti’ (businessman or dealer at the Mandi). The deceased’s cousin Qadeem Agha who is also the President of the New Sabzi Mandi Union told reporters that the incident was not ethnic or political in nature but happened due to an internal dispute adding that there were witnesses available.

The deceased hailed from Qila Abdullah, Balochistan and was living in Karachi in Sohrab Goth. He leaves behind six children.

It is important to mention here that Pehlwan Goth, Sachal Goth, Bilawal Goth, Ayub Goth, Suparco, Gulistan-e-Johar and other surrounding areas were affected due to the riots, and routine life was disturbed in these areas.

Meanwhile Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza during a jail reforms meeting at the Sindh Assembly said that that the riots broke out in reaction to the killing of the ANP member in Sohrab Goth which is a Pakhtoon dominated area.

“It took time for law enforcement agencies to reach the scene because most of the law enforcement teams were already deployed to different areas due to the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match,” the minister explained.

ANP Central Vice President Amin Khattak told Daily Times that the accused Ashraf had called the deceased outside during the Jirga, and fled after shooting him.

“There is a possibility that someone may have directed him to kill Ashraf Agha,” said Khattak. Speaking about the riots, he claimed that the accomplices of the deceased were involved in it because they were very angry.

ANP leader shot dead Thursday

January 22, 2009
By By our correspondent
Karachi

Awami National Party (ANP) Gadap Town President Agha Ashraf was killed in the Sohrab Goth police limits on Wednesday.

After Agha Ashraf’s death, ANP activists blocked the superhighway in protest for a couple of hours. A heavy contingent of police and Rangers reached the place and after a resistance of hours cleared the highway and rounded up 20 miscreants.

Supervisory Police Officer (SPO), Sohrab Goth, Irfan Bahadur, said that the incident resulted from a petty dispute and a case was registered on the complaint of the deceased’s brother, Kadeem Agha, against the alleged killers, Ashraf, Sattar, and Arshad.

Kadeem said that Agha Ashraf had a petty dispute with Sattar and his friends. He went to Sattar’s office for a compromise. Ashraf was present there too. During the negotiations, accused Ashraf lost his temper and shot at Agha Ashraf, killed him, and fled.

Agha Ashraf was a permanent resident of Qila Abdullah (Quetta).

Eyewitnesses said that after Agha Ashraf’s death, shopkeepers, traders, vendors at the New Sabzi Mandi as well as ANP activists stormed the Super Highway and blocked it for traffic. As a result, hundreds of heavy and light vehicles were stuck on the main highway for over two hours.

Later, the leaders of the political group and market men reached the place and negotiated with the protestors and cleared the highway for movement of vehicular traffic.

In a separate case, two armed men shot and killed 35-year-old Faisal Qureshi, the principal of a school in the Khwaja Ajmer Nagri (KAN) police limits.

The watchman of the school said that two youngsters came over to the school and asked for Qureshi. He called them into his office.

After about 10 minutes, the sound of gunfire was heard inside the office and people rushed over. The two youngsters pushed the staff back and fled, leaving Qureshi injured on the floor. He was immediately shifted to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The SHO, KAN police station, said that the deceased was embroiled in a dispute over a tract of land. He had got married around six or seven months ago, but had divorced his wife after only four days. A case was registered and investigation is under way.