At least five Policemen and four criminals were killed in a
gun battle between
the Police and gangsters
on the seventh day
of Lyari operation
in Lyari area of
Karachi on May
3, reported The
Express Tribune.
The Lyari gangsters,
including People’s
Amn Committee (PAC),
remained on a standstill
position and used
automatic weapons,
rockets and grenade
against the Police,
killing five of
them, report
Daily Times.
Police claimed to have killed four cadres of PAC. The gangsters removed dead bodies of two of the four
killed - Junaid
and Shehzad, Police
said. Residents
of the area said
both, Junaid and
Shehzad, were not
criminals. They
were residents of
Baghdadi area and
Shehzad was a contractor
while Junaid was
a security guard
at Bilawal House.
According to details, Police set up temporary check post in
Singo Lane and Afshani Gali. Police
tightened the grip
in the area and
blocked all major
roads leading to
Lyari, including
Cheel Chowk, Ghulam
Abbas Road, Dhobi
Ghaat, Mira Naka,
Maripur Road and
Shershah Road.
Elders of various Baloch tribes were trying to convince Uzair
Baloch, Zafar Baloch
and Baba Ladla of
PAC to evacuate
the area or surrender.
Sources privy to
the development
said that elders
of PAC gangsters
were ready to surrender,
but were seeking
the assurance of
their dominated
areas. The PAC believed
that the authorities
would hand over
Lyari to their rival
Arshad alias
Pappu gang. Source
said Police had
decided to hand
over Lyari to the
Pappu gang after
the evacuation of
PAC operatives.
Sources pointed
out that gangsters
having affiliation
with rival gangs
were also among
the Police in a
drive against PAC.
Meanwhile, Uzair Baloch, the head of the PAC and “Lyari’s most
wanted” criminal,
while talking to
The Express Tribune,
said that he will
not surrender to
the Police. But,
he added, that he
will surrender to
the Rangers “only
on one condition,
that they should
investigate themselves”.
“We will welcome
the Rangers… But
we do not trust
the Government,”
he added. “The people
of Lyari can bow
down if treated
with love, but they
will never stoop
under power.”
Also, the Inspector General (IG) Sindh Police Mushtaq Shah
said that the Police
are hopeful of achieving
their target in
Lyari by May
5, 2012. He said that the area where the operation is being
carried out is the
main headquarter
of the terrorists,
and the Police will
try to clear out
the area of criminal
elements. “The police
will continue to
be after the criminals
until they are arrested,”
Shah added. Further,
the IG said that
the Criminals, with
the help of the
Taliban, had managed
to resist law enforcers
so far, reports
The News.
The Express Tribune
added that the Government
offered PKR 1.5
million for the
arrest of PAC leader
Uzair Baloch. “We
will arrest him
or kill him,” said
the IG. The Police
alleged that the
Taliban and Balochistan
Liberation Army
(BLA) were involved
in the violence
and are taking up
arms with criminals.
However, they could
not provide any
proof for this allegation
apart from speculation.
Later the Government gave 48 hours to ‘miscreants’ active in
Lyari and elsewhere
to surrender their
weapons and ordered
paramilitary Rangers
to take positions
along with Police
to weed out criminals,
adds Dawn.
Interior Minister
Rehman Malik asked
people to give the
Government one month
to expose the elements
who were involved
in terrorism and
destroying Karachi’s peace. Malik said all those
in possession of
illegal weapons,
including rocket-launchers
and grenades, must
surrender them within
48 hours at the
nearest Police Station
or a Rangers check
post. Rehman Malik
said the 72-hour
deadline had been
given on the demand
of people of Lyari
who had asked to
give peace a chance. |
