KARACHI, March 14: Incidents of sporadic violence and firing into the air on Friday left over half a dozen vehicles burnt and a couple of people injured following a strike call by Sunni Tehreek against the publication of blasphemous caricatures in Danish newspapers.

Jamaat-i-Islami activists also staged protest demonstrations as business centres across the city remained shuttered, with public transport off the roads most of the day.

While the strike was peaceful as compared to some violent strikes of the past, the day witnessed uninhibited movement of armed persons in different areas, filling the residents with panic and fear.

The day began ominously with two buses being set on fire in Korangi in the early hours. Arson attacks spread to other areas of the city, with the Central Fire Brigade control room reporting that four vehicles met the same fate over the past 24 hours. However, independent sources told Dawn that some nine vehicles, including buses and a truck, were set ablaze by unknown armed persons in different parts of the city.

“We have reports of burning of buses in Bhens Colony in the jurisdiction of the Sukkhun police station, Allah Wali Chowrangi in the jurisdiction of Ferozabad police station and in New Karachi area,” said an official of the Central Fire Department. “A parked truck in Mahmoodabad area was also set on fire by unknown persons. Most of the vehicles were burnt before the fire tenders reached the spot. However, buses in Sukkhun were prevented from complete damage.”

A senior official said a police party had also spotted armed persons in Sukkhun and arrested them.

“They were caught red-handed and a further lead from initial investigations helped police to arrest their colleagues in different parts of the city. The arrested people were also planning to damage law and order on the pretext of the strike call,” said Capital City Police Officer Niaz Siddiqi.

He claimed the day had remained mostly peaceful, adding that the burning of vehicles and gunfire did not adversely affect the city’s law and order in a big way.

“It was Friday and business activity and transport movement remain low on Fridays as compared to other days of the week. There were few incidents but they did not affect city life in a big way,” he added.

He said people arrested on Friday would be proceeded against under relevant laws for seeking to cause a breakdown of law and order.

While the city police chief did not give an exact number of arrested people and also refused to shed light on their political affiliation, the Sunni Tehreek claimed 20 of its workers had been “illegally detained” by the police.

“Besides, a couple of our workers were also kidnapped last night and six bullets were pumped into one of them before he was abandoned in New Karachi area,” said Shahid Ghori, a central leader of the Sunni Tehreek.

He alleged the rival group was behind the violent events and kidnapping of his workers to malign the party’s image and harass its activists, so that they could not protest against the blasphemous cartoons.

“Though such forces are not in government, we believe that their influence in the caretaker setup and their alliance with the dictator has allowed them to spread terror and suppress their opponents,” added Mr Ghori.

He denied that Sunni Tehreek was involved in the violent events of Friday and asked the police to initiate a probe into the incidents, adding that the areas affected during the peaceful strike were those which were the strongholds of the former coalition partner of the government in the centre as well as in the province.

While the police insisted that the city remained largely peaceful on Friday, heavy gunfire was heard in different parts of the city.

The areas which were affected the most on Friday included Ranchore Line, Nazimabad, Korangi, Korangi Industrial Area, Federal B Area, Clifton and Defence areas bordering Mehmoodabad and Manzoor Colony, New Karachi, Surjani Town and Malir.