KARACHI, Pakistan - Security forces were ordered to shoot
gunmen on sight Friday in Pakistan's largest city, as four days of
violence left at least 71 people dead and prompted political leaders to
call for a day of mourning that shut businesses and kept public traffic
off the roads.
This week's violent spate in Karachi was among the
worst this year for a city that has long been a hotbed of ethnic,
sectarian and political tensions. At least 34 people died on Thursday
alone, when gunmen strafed buses and went on shooting sprees in several
neighborhoods.
The order to shoot suspects on sight reflected the authorities' desperation to bring the spiraling violence under control.
Sharjeel
Memon, the Sindh province information minister, said the order was
aimed at "any armed miscreant" encountered by police, Rangers and other
security troops expected to be deployed in the city.
Karachi is a
port city of 18 million people that lies on the Arabian Sea. In any
given year, it can easily witness more than 1,000 violent deaths.
According
to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 1,138 people have been
killed in Karachi in the first six months of this year. Of those, 490
were victims of so-called targeted killings, which are often linked to
political, ethnic and sectarian rivalries.
Relatives wept over
the bodies of loved ones in morgues and hospitals Friday. The smell of
burning tires wafted through some streets.
"People are stuck at
home, their food and rations are finishing," Karachi resident Mohammad
Shahid said. "Where is the government? Where is the police?"
Many
of the killings appeared linked to political and ethnic turf battles,
said Saood Mirza, the Karachi police chief, who also confirmed the
latest death toll. Some of Karachi's leading political parties have
been formed along ethnic lines.
Authorities have rounded up
dozens of suspects, but that's standard in such crackdowns in Pakistan,
and most of those detained are usually freed for lack of evidence.
Around 1,000 members of the Frontier Constabulary, a paramilitary
police force, were expected to be deployed to help security.
The
city's most powerful political party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement,
called for a "day of mourning" Friday. That prompted shutdowns across
much of the city, with roads and commercial areas largely deserted.
However, occasional gunshots could still be heard in some areas.
The
MQM party is accused of links to some of the armed gangs in the city,
as are its rivals, the Pakistan People's Party and the Awami National
Party.
The MQM was part of the ruling federal coalition, but
recently decided to join the opposition. One of the party's top
leaders, Raza Haroon, suggested Friday that the political machinations
were what prompted the violence.
"We are being punished for leaving the coalition government," he said.
U.S.
Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter expressed deep concern over the
escalating violence in Karachi and in a statement on Friday called "on
all parties to refrain from further violence and work toward a peaceful
resolution of differences."
The federal Interior Minister, Rehman
Malik, a member of the ruling People's Party, said the death toll may
be as high as 85. He said he'd sent a message to the MQM and the Awami
party that said, "Let's have a ceasefire."
Pakistan has seen
violent crime rise alongside al-Qaida and Taliban-led Islamist
militancy in recent years, with Karachi bearing much of the brunt.
Also
Friday, a government administrator said Pakistani troops backed by jets
killed 11 suspected Taliban militants in the northwest tribal region of
Kurram. That brings to 45 the number of suspected insurgents killed in
Kurram since the army began an offensive there Sunday, Javed Ullah said.
The
Pakistani army's operation in Kurram follows reports that the feared
Afghan Taliban militant group, the Haqqani network, is using the
territory to help it launch attacks against NATO forces across the
border.
But the Pakistani military is more likely focused on
Pakistani Taliban militants who have declared war against the state and
its security establishment. Many analysts believe Pakistan is hesitant
to target the Haqqanis — as demanded by the U.S. — because of
historical ties to the group.
The information Kurram is nearly
impossible to verify independently because the area is remote and
dangerous. It is also unclear how the Pakistani authorities distinguish
between insurgents and civilians killed during their airstrikes and
other battles. AP
