KARACHI: Five people including two CID officials have been killed on Sunday while two cameramen and eight policemen were among around two dozen injured amid rocket and grenade attacks in the troubled Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, DawnNews reported.
The injured including two cameramen of local news channels were taken to the Civil Hospital Karachi.
More contingents of law enforcers were summoned to control the violence in Lyari which remained highly tense as the operation against criminals continued on the third consecutive day.
Meanwhile, police faced stiff resistance from the gang war criminals who fired rockets and hurled hand grenades to stop the law enforcers from entering the narrow lanes of the area.
The two deceased Central Investigation Department’s (CID) officials were identified as Faiz Ahmed and Asghar.
DSP Haji Razzaq and DSP Nawaz were among the injured.
More than 20 people including officials from different law enforcement agencies have been killed in the past three days of the operation.
Despite tough resistance by the miscreants, the police got control of some areas and was able to establish posts on rooftops of buildings there.
Officials of CID, FC and area police were taking part in the operation while all units were given under the control of SSP CID Chaudhry Aslam.
Police have claimed killing of accused Suhail, brother of a wanted criminal Mulla Nisar, during the operation besides arresting of several accused and recovering arms.
Police say the operation would continue till wiping out all gangsters from the area.
Moreover, the Sindh Home Ministry has issued warrants for the arrest of eight people including the outlawed People’s Amn Committee chief Uzair Baloch, Habib Jan Baloch, Taj Mohammad aka Taju, Noor Mohammad alias Baba Ladla. Law enforcement agencies have been directed to capture the men dead or alive.
Local residents complained of the informal curfew that has been imposed as they say it has left them confined within their homes with a shortage of food, water and other essentials and the electricity outage that has continued since Friday.
The unrest began in Lyari after a local leader of the Pakistan People’s Party was killed on Thursday while leading a protest rally against the conviction of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
The police began a ‘Grand operation’ in Lyari on Friday which has entered its third day today and the area still remains under the grip of panic and fear. Eight people lost their lives in an exchange of gunfire during the ongoing operation on Friday.
On Saturday nine people were killed including three police men. Among the policemen killed was the SHO of Civil Lines, along with two constables who died when unknown culprits hurled a hand grenade and opened fire on them at Kalakot.
