Zulfiqar Mirza's resignation complete press conference dated 28th august 2011 (Duration 1 hour 54 mins)

Imran Farooq's funeral : Yet Another Shut down in Karachi: City left at the mercy of Terrorists & Bhathakhors

2 weeks back whole Shara-e-Faisal was closed down for PPP's 18th October anniversary.

Hardly 6 days back when Sunni Tehreek's cheif gangster's stupid security guard mistakenly shot himself during a protest, Sunni Tehreek's terrorist here in Karachi went berserk and forcefully closed down businesses and resorted to firing and arson which resulted in MASSIVE traffic jams on major roads and closure of businesses all across Karachi.

Attack rumours spark violence in Karachi
http://public.dawn.com/2010/10/30/attack-rumours-spark-violence.html

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/5935/116201071217am.jpg

Now today yet again Karachi is being closed down,Reason for this complete shut down of Karachi is that dead body of an absconder who had fled this city while sporting a beard and a wig in 1999 is being transferred and transported back to the city for last rites.During his final days he had been sidelined and literally expelled from the party which he was founding member of,leaders and activists of the party were barred from keeping any type of contact with him. But ever since his sudden,shocking & unexplainable death some 2 months back MQM and its senior leaders have been painstakingly trying to give an impression that everything was OK and he had no differences with Mafia chief Altaf.
Altaf Hussain even resorted to exquisitely orchestrated melodrama in which he shed crocodile tears like a new born infant. ( Video #3 )

Guilty conscience often leads to such emotional performances by absconding grand terrorist just like this performance(Video #1) after 9th April arson attack in which MQM Altaf's terrorist locked up and burnt down 10 men/women and shot down 48 others and torched 60 vechicles. Altaf Hussain and his gang over the years have perfected the art of killing and buring down people and then hijacking the dead bodies and claiming that all the victims were their own 'hamdards' and activists and then shedding crocodiles tears for them afterward.

Anyways coming back to the topic,Goons from Mafia gang MQM Altaf notorious for violence,bloodshed and arson had in advance intimidated and threatened all shopkeepers and transporters to keep their businesses closed and transport off the road on the burial day or else they would themselves be responsible for the consequences.

Traders,transporters and private institutions have announced that they are closed on Saturday.

Bottom line is that notorious terrorists have hijacked the public and rule this city with impunity and they are given official patronage and protocol.

Video #1 Murderer Altaf Shedding crocodile tears for victims of 9th April Tahir Plaza arson attack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q9h_6KaGTo&feature=player_embedded

Video #2 Dependents of Tahir Plaza arson attack victims still waiting for justice as killer remain at large..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8UgftCVrC0&feature=player_embedded

Absconder Altaf shedding crocodile tears

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yhio8Jfqxkg&feature=player_embedded


Firing, arson(by MQM Altaf's unit terrorists) sow fear in city

KARACHI, Nov 5: Scattered incidents of firing and arson on Friday forced the businesses to close hours before their scheduled time with the traffic becoming thin on the roads as fear gripped the city on the eve of the burial of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Dr Imran Farooq.

Nearly an hour before sunset shops started closing in different localities, mainly in the central district of the city, where heavy gunfire forced traders to pull down shutters. Police confirmed that the firing incidents were reported in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, North Nazimabad and Liaquatabad.

A minibus was set on fire near the Power House traffic intersection of Federal B Area and another bus met the same fate in Sector L-1 of Surjani Town. Business in the Saddar and old city areas were also closed after sunset.

Though there was no official word from the police authorities about the reason behind the anxiety among the citizens, the fear of any untoward incident was found common among Karachiites. In a few areas, traders complained that they were forced to close business by armed men.

A large number of petrol pumps and CNG stations also started wrapping up their business hours before the regular time, while a few that remained open handled long queues of vehicles.

The traders’ bodies have already announced that they would keep business in major markets and commercial centres closed on Saturday for “security reasons and mourning”.

Late in the night, the transporters also announced that they would not operate vehicles on Saturday.
“After a meeting of senior members of the body, we have decided to keep our vehicles off the roads on Saturday,” said Irshad Bukhari, president of the Karachi Transport Ittehad.

The police on the other hand chalked out a security plan for the shifting of Dr Farooq’s body from the airport to Nine Zero and then burial of the leader.

“More than 3,000 policemen will be deputed for the overall security arrangement,” said an official privy to the decision taken at a recent meeting of security officials without elaborating the route map of the body’s transfer.

“Similarly, 40 mobile vans of the Rangers carrying armed personnel would assist the police under the security plan. The motorcycle squad and four APCs (armored personnel carriers) would also be deputed for the purpose.”

http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/06/firing-arson-sow-fear-in-city.html

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Industrial, business activities come to a halt By Aamir Shafaat Khan
Sunday, 07 Nov, 2010

KARACHI, Nov 6: Production remained suspended in the city’s four main industrial areas while all wholesale and retail markets were completely closed as slain MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq was buried here on Saturday.

Owing to absence of public transport people failed to reach their workplaces. Workers living in the surroundings of the industrial areas marked their presence but couldn’t energise normal production.

There was complete suspension in the two-way container and truck movement of goods to and from the port, industries and markets.

Though industrial associations had not announced holiday on Saturday but attendance remained thin in their units.

A large number of people on daily wages in the markets and industries were deprived of the day’s income.

However, many industries had called upon their staffers and workers on Sunday to cover up Saturday’s productivity losses.

CNG and Petroleum Dealers Association Chairman Abdul Sami Khan said that out of 300 CNG pumps and 400 petrol pumps, over 90 per cent remained shut.

Site Association of Trade and Industry Chairman Abdul Wahab Lakahni said only 25-30 per cent of workers living in nearby areas arrived but industrialists could not start their machines owing to low strength.

F.B. Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBATI) Chairman Mohammad Irfan said only 15-20 per cent production work in the morning shift was witnessed.

North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry Chairman Faraz Mirza said that hardly two per cent production was achieved as majority of workers did not turn up.

Sources in Korangi industrial area said that almost all the industrial units were closed after announcement by traders and transporters to keep their work suspended on Saturday.

President Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market Super Highway Haji Shahjehan said hardly five to 10 per cent sales were recorded as traders did not arrive due to market closure.

http://www.dawnexhibitions.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/business/industrial,-business-activities-come-to-a-halt-710

By Imran Ayub

KARACHI, Nov 6: The city was completely shut down on Saturday apparently because of widespread fear blended with mourning as the body of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Imran Farooq was flown in from London and was later buried in Federal B Area amid a few incidents of arson and shooting.

Though the traders, who had already announced that they would keep major commercial houses and business centres closed on the burial day of Dr Farooq, shops inside thickly populated residential areas also remained shut throughout the day. Almost the same situation was witnessed on roads where life remained paralysed after a late-night announcement by the transporters` body to keep the vehicles off the roads.

Life in the city, which started witnessing incidents of firing and arson on Thursday evening, came virtually to a halt with no sign of regular business and social activity across the metropolis. Even beggars were nowhere to be seen, so complete was the shutdown.

“The decision to keep the vehicles off the roads was taken after deliberations with members of our organisation,” said Irshad Bukhari, president of the Karachi Transport Ittehad. “A few incidents on Thursday evening further discouraged transporters from operating their vehicles and even today (Saturday) we have reports of attacks on public transport in a few areas.”

Mr Bukhari`s findings matched with the data collected by the central fire station that recorded at least three incidents of arson in different parts of the city, where armed men intercepted the vehicles before setting them on fire.

A motorcycle was also set on fire in Khawaja Ajmer Nagri after a brief exchange of fire between workers of two political parties. Though the area police claimed to have controlled the situation, the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital received two injured from the affected part that included an MQM worker identified as Imran, said to be in his early 20s.

“In Pak Colony, a rickshaw was set on fire and in Saeedabad a minibus (JE-9285) met the same fate,” said an official at the central fire station.

In North Nazimabad two young men associated with the MQM received bullet wounds in firing, but people behind the incident remained untraced. Though the victims blamed the Rangers for the firing, the police said they were still investigating the incident.

“Two MQM workers — Shahzad and Imran, in his mid-30s and residents of Orangi Town — received a single bullet wound each in firing near the Five-Star traffic intersection, within the remit of the Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan police station,” said SP Malik Zafar Iqbal of North Nazimabad Town.

“They accused the Rangers of firing, but we didn`t have any such reports. Initial findings suggested that the two youngsters collided with a bus that led to an exchange of hot words and then firing from an unknown side. Both have been shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment.”

Major business centres and markets remained closed following the announcement made by the traders` association a couple of days ago. They referred to their decision both as a sign of mourning and security measures.

“We even kept the businesses closed on the very next day when Dr Farooq was murdered in London,” said Siddiq Memon of the Karachi Traders Action Committee. “Security has always been an issue in this city for the traders and we prefer protection of life and property of our members to business.”

However, he said, the traders were likely to operate on Sunday to make up for the losses to some extent and meet business commitments which could not materialise on Saturday.

http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/07/fear-mourning-behind-city-shutdown.htm

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Rumour has it…

Rumours can work perfectly normal folks into a paranoid frenzy. And when one factors in the role cellphones, television and modern technology can play in fanning rumours, the results are not pretty. In the context of Karachi rumour-mongering can have extremely destructive consequences and it can take the smallest spark to ignite a fire that has the potential to engulf large parts of the city in mayhem. Eighteen million paranoid, frenzied souls is a recipe for disaster.

Take the example of one recent Friday night. As this writer rode the old two-wheeler home from work in the evening there was an unusual sense of unease in the air. Of course being a citizen of Karachi, where violent crime, ethnic, political and sectarian ‘targeted’ killings and random mob violence has become quite the disturbing norm, there’s nothing strange about unease. But that particular evening Karachi’s commuters seemed to be in an unusually frantic rush to get home, more so than the usual madness that is witnessed everyday during rush hour on the metropolis’s roads.

Major commercial centres had closed down way earlier than usual, an instant giveaway that something was fishy. After having made my way through intense traffic to the mother-ship in North Nazimabad, I noticed a number of missed calls from relatives and friends on my cellphone.

When I called people back I had nearly the identical conversation with each person. Everyone was calling to inquire about my safety. A relative asked me what was wrong, to which I replied that I hadn’t the foggiest. “Apparently, someone important has been shot”, he told me. When I inquired who this person was, he was clueless. “I’m not sure who it is, but they say it is someone important”, he said.

I asked my relative where he had heard the news of the shooting from. None of the channels had the details of the “important” person supposedly gunned down, but the rumour had been spread by word of mouth and through text messages. The actual details emerged in the morning when the papers were consulted: it had been rumoured that the leader of a religio-political party had been attacked in Pakpattan. This was, of course, not true, but it helped spark panic in the city, with the result that several vehicles were torched and quite a few localities of Karachi reverberated with gunfire.

Though the media, specifically the electronic media, has often been accused of sensationalising news, for the most part in this case the media acted responsibly. However, Karachiites are always on edge and hence even unconfirmed stories can travel around the city within minutes courtesy cellphones and text messages. Perhaps we as citizens should take more care when forwarding such ‘news’.

There’s little we can do about controlling law and order in Karachi; what we can do is try our best not to let half-baked rumours bring normal life to a grinding halt.—QAM

http://public.dawn.com/2010/11/08/rumour-has-it.html

MQM's illegal encroachments in North Nazimabad -UPDATE 2

Related post : MQM's illegal encroachments in North Nazimabad UPDATE 1





Land-grabbers occupying North Nazimabad parks

By Bhagwandas (DAWN News)

KARACHI, April 4: Encroachers, reportedly patronised by the land mafia and influential groups in the city, have launched a well-planned assault on the open public spaces – parks, playgrounds, etc – in North Nazimabad, and the illegal structures are being raised at breakneck speed, Dawn has learnt.

The city district government Karachi, while accepting that the land is being occupied, has expressed its inability to stop the violation of the rules, which are otherwise so strict that even a plot reserved for one type of amenity can not be used for another.

The illegal structures being raised are of residential as well as commercial nature and billions of rupees are reportedly being pocketed by those behind the encroachments at the cost of the common people and area residents.

The sources said that these parks and playgrounds are located along Shahrahi-Noor Jahan in Taimuria, North Nazimabad (KDA Scheme No 2). This is said to be one of the best planned schemes in the city and was offered by the government to the people of the city with ample open areas.

The open areas that have been encroached upon are: Plot No ST 5/2 Block E (a park having an area of 2.03 acres); ST 5/4 Block E (playground, two acres); ST 5/1 Block E (Hazoori Bagh, area 1.35 acres); ST 4 Block D (Bagh-i-Afroze, area 3.5 acres); ST 1 Block I (Bagh-iDilkusha, area 2.75 acres); ST 9 Block A (Bagh-i-Babar) and ST 5 Block K (Taj Mahal Bagh having an area of six acres).

Responding to Dawn’s queries, the CDGK’s anti-encroachment chief Matanat Ali Khan took the details and said that he would look into the issue and would respond soon.

When he did respond, Mr Khan conceded that the structures were being raised on amenity spaces, but refused to give any further comment or to launch any anti-encroachment drive.

Responding to Dawn’s queries, the CDGK’s Master Plan executive district officer Ateeq Baig said that under the law an amenity plot – park, playground etc – cannot be used for any other purpose, nor could its status be changed.

He said that the status of the amenity spaces in North Nazimabad along Shahrah-i-Noor Jahan had not been changed, nor is there any such proposal in the process.

Talking to Dawn a member of Shehri – a non-governmental organisation which has been raising civic issues – said that it had approached various government officials as well as politicians on the issue, but none of them had responded. He said that letters with all the relevant information had been sent to Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Fazal-ur-Rehman, Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, Environment Minister Askari Taqvi, Environment Secretary Mir Hussain Ali and Karachi Building Control Authority chief Manzoor Qadir many times, but none of them had responded.

The NGO’s representative said that the laws being violated included the Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001 (incl. Regs. 67–70, Sixth Schedule); Karachi Building & Town Planning Regulations 2002 (incl. 1804.1); Sindh Building Control Ordinance 1979 (incl. 6.1); and the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997 (incl. 4).

Shehri said that such amenity spaces cannot be allotted by the CDGK for residential purposes, nor can building plans be approved by the KBCA, while the construction also cannot be undertaken without the approval of the plan.

It said that though the Sindh government as well as the CDGK had not taken any steps to stop the illegal constructions, the organisation would continue to raise the issue till someone in the corridors of power moved to protect public interests.


http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/local/karachi-landgrabbers-occupying-north-nazimabad-parks

MQM-H demands inquiry into Landhi killings

KARACHI, April 22: The women wing of Muhajir Quami Movement (Haqiqi) has demanded an impartial inquiry into the Landhi killings to determine who committed the crime.

Two workers reportedly belonging to the Muttahida Quami Movement were killed and another two were injured when unidentified armed men opened fire on them in Landhi on April 19. The Muttahida blamed MQM-Haqiqi workers for the killings and lodged an FIR against them.

Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday afternoon, the MQM-Haqiqi women wing in charge, Rida Asim, condemned the killings of what she described as two Muhajir youths in Landhi and observed that the Muttahida had hatched a conspiracy to prevent Haqiqi leaders and workers from returning to their respective areas.

She condemned the implication of her party workers in the killing and said the incident was the continuity of the May 12 mayhem.

Ms Asim said that Haqiqi women workers were subjected to torture when they were demonstrating outside the KPC on March 12, while a number of their workers were kidnapped and later killed.

She blamed Muttahida leaders and a policeman for the violence and killings and demanded the authorities concerned to arrest them.

She demanded the authorities concerned to launch a transparent inquiry into the Nishtar Park tragedy, May 12 mayhem, Tahir Plaza fire besides holding a high-level probe into the killings of political leaders and workers during the last few years.

She urged the Sindh government to allow MQM-Haqiqi to play its democratic role in the political process like other political parties.

The Haqiqi women workers did not leave the press club for at least three hours after holding the press conference as they said they felt that their lives were in danger.

http://dawn.com/2008/04/23/local5.htm

Inquiry into role of SHOs in May 12 mayhem under way

By S. Raza Hassan

KARACHI, April 22: The role of some station house officers (SHOs) in the May 12 killings is being investigated by intelligence agencies ahead of the first anniversary of the fateful day, sources close to spymasters told Dawn.

Over 45 people were killed and dozens wounded when the Muttahida Qaumi Movement held a rally the day the deposed chief justice of the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, landed at Karachi airport to address the Karachi Bar Association on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Sindh High Court Bar Association.

The Pakistan People’s Party, the Awami National Party and the Jamaat-i-Islami had already announced their plans to take out processions to welcome the deposed chief justice.

Ironically, except for one, the station house officers in Shah Faisal and Malir towns – where most of the killings took place on May 12, 2007 – are still posted at their respective police stations.

A majority of the killings took place in the jurisdictions of the Shah Faisal, Al-Falah, Malir City and Model Colony police stations.

Sources close to the officials overseeing the inquiry by the agencies said that there was evidence that official weapons and rounds belonging to the Al-Falah and Shah Faisal and Malir City police stations were freely used on May 12.

The Shah Faisal Colony SHO recently went on month-long leave in a move described as “highly unusual” by a senior officer.

“There is ample evidence available in the form of video clips that the SMGs used by terrorists at the Baloch Colony flyover and some other spots, such as Malir Halt, had SMG straps attached to them, which shows that they were official weapons,” said a source privy to the probe.

Similarly, several hundred official rounds of AK-47 rifles were also used on May 12, sources quoting some senior police officers said.

Explaining the additional use of official weapons, an official said that they were used as the terrorists had run out of their own stock on that particular day.

Police and Rangers have not yet been able to explain away their inaction on May 12. In fact, the then city police chief, Azhar Ali Farooqui, told the Sindh High Court that he was helpless on May 12.

Mr Farooqui was subsequently appointed Sindh IG and he held the post till he was replaced by Dr Shoaib Suddle earlier this month.

“You just collect the footage of the stretch of road starting from the COD to Malir Halt and at the Baloch Colony flyover belonging to private television channels of May 12 and not much will be left to investigate,” said a senior police officer requesting anonymity.

In the aftermath of the May 12 incidents, police did complete their formalities by registering 55 FIRs in the defunct police zones I and II.

Most of the FIRs were lodged by the heirs of the people who had died in the May 12 violence, but in some cases police also registered FIRs on behalf of the state against unknown persons.

An officer belonging to the investigation wing of the police said there had been little investigation into the May 12 killings. He added that the probe had never been initiated.

http://dawn.com/2008/04/23/local1.htm

Muttahida activist arrested

KARACHI, April 25: A worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was arrested on suspicion of killing an activist of the Sunni Tehrik, police said on Friday.

On January 5, 2008, the body of an ST activist, Shafeequr Rehman, was found with multiple bullet wounds in Sector 1-C, KBR, Buffer Zone.

The inquiry officer in the case, Sub-inspector Khursheed Khan, said that the victim’s brother, Jalil Mohammad, had lodged an FIR (18/2008) under Sections 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the Taimuria police station against unknown persons.

He had nominated Azam alias Bali saying that he might be behind the murder of his brother, said the inquiry officer.

The IO said that upon investigating the case, the police found some circumstantial evidence which suggested the involvement of Azam in the murder of Shafeequr Rehman that led to the arrest of Azam alias Bali on Thursday. According to the police, Bali is an activist of the MQM associated with the KBR sector.

A senior police officer, who wished not to be named, told Dawn that the law-enforcers were facing immense pressure from the party to release the suspect.

Officials at the Taimuria police station said that a number of Muttahida workers had gathered outside the police station, questioning the rationale behind the arrest of their colleague.

Sensing gravity of the situation, the suspect was shifted to the North Nazimabad police station, while police high-ups had also been informed about the matter, officials said.

http://dawn.com/2008/04/26/local10.htm

Mobs coordinate over cellphones

KARACHI: A man in his thirties, in a brown shalwar kameez, was standing next to Denso Hall on MA Jinnah Road. He was ever ready to spring into action. As he saw the police coming he held up his palm towards the back of the alley as he spoke to someone else on his cell phone in rapid fire Urdu.

Why don’t you shout any slogans, he was egged on. “The time for slogans has passed,” he snapped. “This is the work of the gun. My only regret is that we don’t have the latest weapons.”

This man was one of many who came out of nowhere on Wednesday to riot and set vehicles on fire. Most of the cars were set on fire with the help of chemicals and not the usual Samad Bond and petrol. Chief Fire Officer Ehtishamuddin Siddiqui said that bottles filled with the stuff were smashed into the cars.

Dr Iqbal Choudhry of the International Center for Chemistry and Biological Sciences of University of Karachi and Professor Fahimuddin, the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences and Chemistry, both said that the lightweight Benzene is hundreds of times more flammables than petrol and is cheaply available in the city. Plus, if you take benzene and keep it in hot weather it catches fire even faster. The CFO said that he believed Benzene could have been used.

Rioters who did not have chemicals or petrol instead used bricks and stones. One man was standing with a brick in his hand trying to damage a parked car outside a residential building near the city courts. No one tried to immediately stop him but a few people tried to dissuade him. The car’s owner appeared in the balcony and pleaded: “Please do not damage it, I am coming!” he cried. “I will park it in another place.” A short while later a crowd gathered around eventually the man walked away. But with the brick.

The CFO said that in future the fire fighters would need protection as well. “I was there for the Tahir Plaza fire. I immediately called the fire tenders from the nearest fire station but the mob attacked them twice.”

A hand-out was issued from the Central Police Office Wednesday evening saying that IGP Azhar Ali Farooqui had “taken strict notice of the rioting” and patrolling would be increased. The police were ordered to immediately arrest anyone making trouble.

faraz khan

http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\04\10\story_10-4-2008_pg12_3

Story of innocent karachiites burnt alive by MQM's terrorists

‘They were locked in and burnt alive!’

Text by Faraz Khan and Photo by Athar Hussain

KARACHI: At about 4:00 p.m. Tahir Plaza, which houses lawyers offices near the City Courts, was also subjected to arson and up to six bodies, including that of two woman, had to be taken out. There were conflicting reports on what happened.

“The media is witness to everything,” said the Karachi Bar Association’s Naeem Qureshi. “The mob threw petrol into the office on the sixth floor of Tahir Plaza and later they locked the gate from the outside.”

According to some reports, its main entrance was accessible and young men went in and set it on fire. The watchman switched the electricity off after there were reports that they tried to create the fire with a short circuit. No one standing outside on the street or at nearby buildings at first understood there was a fire because they were in their own panic. People were mostly in their offices as well. The police and rangers passed by and did not notice either. There was no smoke and only if one looked closely could one see flames from the windows.

Eventually, Karachi Police Chief Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui reached the scene along with the fire brigade, but the damage had been done.

The Malir Bar Association’s building was also set on fire along with Jehangir Kothari building off M.A. Jinnah Road. SHO Saddar Naeem Khan reached the scene and commented on how the people inside had not called the police first but fought with them after they arrived. No fatalities were reported from them and there were reports that the people extinguished the fires themselves as the fire brigade did not reach even three hours after. The main wooden gate was first set on fire. The people inside the building fought with the Rangers for not calling the fire brigade.

As aerial firing erupted, shops closed down across the city. All trade centers also shut down. The centre of the city was clamped down in a massive gridlock as traffic from II Chundrigar Road, MA Jinnah Road, Saddar and Clifton intersected near the defunct Hotel Metropole roundabout.

Lawyers were not violent: KBA president: KBA president Mehmoodul Hasan told Daily Times that the KBA was taking cognizance of the incident in Lahore and what happened to the former Sindh chief minister. “We are not responsible for any act of violence today,” he said. “We have done nothing.”

The attacks appeared to be coordinated and according to witnesses, as soon as the meeting ended a scuffle erupted between two groups of lawyers. Within minutes, the City Court premises was cordoned off by armed young men who took to main M.A. Jinnah Road as they pelted vehicles with stones and set others on fire.

Malir Bar Association’s Honorary Secretary Ashraf Samoon advocate said that up to 25 miscreants came to the building and started firing at members and the president. As the lawyers ran for shelter, the men torched the office and library. While fleeing the scene they also damaged parked cars and set a vehicle on fire.

The KBA’s Naeem Qureshi has claimed that his house in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, vehicle and 40 offices at Tahir Plaza were torched by activists from a political party during the riots.

The Fire brigade’s Abdul Waheed said that they did not have any information about Qureshi’s house being set on fire. Another man was killed in a shoot-out at Khudadad Colony within the jurisdiction of Brigade police station. He was taken to Civil hospital where he was identified as Nadeem Shah, 28. He was the driver of a passenger bus and had been trying to resist a mob that wanted to set his vehicle on fire.

http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\04\10\story_10-4-2008_pg12_1

April 9 arson: samples sent for chemical analysis

By S. Raza Hassan

KARACHI, April 17: Samples collected from the Tahir Plaza crime scene of arson have been sent for a chemical analysis by police, it has been learnt.

If tests are carried out fairly, the results may help ascertain the nature of the inflammable material used in the arson attacks on April 9, a senior police officer said.

Nine people were killed, six of them burnt to death, in acts of arson and killing committed on April 9 following a clash between two groups of lawyers on the premises of the City Courts.

Police have failed to arrest any of the arsonists, neither at the crime scene nor in the limits of the Risala and Preedy police stations, where most of the damage was done.

The incidents coincided with a session of the newly-elected Sindh assembly, where a sizable strength of police force was deployed on security duties.

On April 9, only two suspects were rounded up by police in the Ferozabad police limits. The two did not have any party affiliation but were in possession of TT pistols, a police officer said.

However, sources said the two suspects did have political affiliation and were forcing closure of markets in the Society area.

Police said the suspects were not in any way related with the April 9 violence. “They happened to be carrying pistols and got arrested on that particular day,” said a senior police officer.

As many as 14 FIRs were registered in connection with the incidents of April 9 at six different police stations. Fourteen FIRs pertained to four murders, seven were in connection with rioting and two about a robbery.

Well-placed sources in the police department told Dawn that Risala and Preedy police did round up several arsonists on April 9, but they soon released the suspects.

“We have sent the samples collected from the gutted rooms of the Tahir Plaza for a chemical analysis to the office of the Chemical Examiner, but one cannot rely on the results issued by that lab,” an officer said.

Six persons, including two women, were burnt alive in the sixth-floor office of Advocate Altaf Abbasi, who was also killed in the arson.

A subsequent FIR (78/2008) was registered at the Risala police station under Sections 147/148/149/324/302 R/W 7A ATA. The FIR was lodged on behalf of the state by Sub-Inspector Waheed Iqbal of the Risala police station.

The six victims, who happened to be in Room 616 of Tahir Plaza on that day were later identified as Advocate Aftab Abbasi, Syed Dawar Ali Rizvi, Syed Danish Akhtar, Basit Mehmood, Razia Batool and Sobia Raza.

Eyewitness accounts of April 9 suggested that conventional methods of arson were not employed on that particular day, rather the arsonist used powder or some liquid for setting fire to around 50 vehicles and for torching the plaza.

Faculty member of Karachi University’s chemistry department Dr Nasiruddin told Dawn that there were many chemical compounds available in the market which could be used in arson where the conventional method of petrol was not required.

He said if a liquid was used in arson, it could be a combination of a flammable solvent and white phosphorus. If only powder was used, a combination of any compound with white phosphorus or only white phosphorus was enough to ignite a fire, Dr Nasiruddin explained.

A senior police officer, seeking anonymity, told Dawn that the Board of Revenue office fire was also caused by the same type of power or chemical.

An inquiry report has already suggested that the fire was deliberate and was not accidental.

Out of the 14 FIRs, there are eight in which the complainants have stated the number of attackers involved in the arson attacks or robbery.

In FIR 204/2008 under Section 147,148,149, 435 and 324 at Preedy police station in which minibuses (PE-3336 and PE-6076) were involved, the complainants stated that 10 to 12 unknown men set fire to their vehicles.

In FIR 77/2008 under Sections 147, 148, 149, 435 and 427, registered at the Risala police station for nine vehicles, complainant Sub-Inspector Idress Bangash stated that the arson was carried out by 30 to 35 persons.

In another FIR, however, the number of suspects in arson attacks varied from 20 to 25, 15 to 20, 10 to 12, 8 to 10, and so on.

The FIR which specified the number of attackers suggested that the attackers were working in organized groups on April 9, said a police officer.“It’s not for the first time that such techniques have been used in arson. In the events following the death of Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27 last year such combustible compounds were used in arson attacks,” he added.

http://dawn.com/2008/04/18/local2.htm