A 7-year-old boy was shot dead and one minor girl and three women were among 20 injured as several localities in Karachi reverberated with gunshots on New Year's Eve.

Revelers firing in the air at the turn of midnight Saturday to 'welcome' in the new year were responsible for the deaths and injuries, police officials said.

The boy, Subhan, was hit by a stray bullet near the Ayesha Manzil area of Azizabad. A police official said Subhan had been travelling with his father, Irfan, on a motorbike when unknown people resorted to aerial firing around 12am.

He sustained bullet wounds to his head and was transported to a private hospital in Nazimabad where he succumbed to injuries on Sunday during treatment.

In other incidents spread over several localities, at least 20 more people sustained bullet wounds, police and hospital sources said.

“We received 10 people with bullet injuries from various areas,” said Dr Seemin Jamali, executive director of the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre.

Among the injured were 7-year-old Arba and three other female victims, Dr Jamali said. Arba had received bullet injuries in the Liaquatabad area.

Her condition was critical as she had been struck in her abdomen. She has been referred to the National Institute of Child Health for further treatment, added Dr Jamali.

Among the three injured women, the condition of Afshan, 30, was serious as she too had received bullet wounds on her abdomen in the Jacob Lines area.

Opinion

Editorial

Online oppression
Updated 04 Dec, 2024

Online oppression

Plan to bring changes to Peca is simply another attempt to suffocate dissent. It shows how the state continues to prioritise control over real cybersecurity concerns.
The right call
04 Dec, 2024

The right call

AMIDST the ongoing tussle between the federal government and the main opposition party, several critical issues...
Acting cautiously
04 Dec, 2024

Acting cautiously

IT appears too big a temptation to ignore. The wider expectations for a steeper reduction in the borrowing costs...
Competing narratives
03 Dec, 2024

Competing narratives

Rather than hunting keyboard warriors, it would be better to support a transparent probe into reported deaths during PTI protest.
Early retirement
03 Dec, 2024

Early retirement

THE government is reportedly considering a proposal to reduce the average age of superannuation by five years to 55...
Being differently abled
03 Dec, 2024

Being differently abled

A SOCIETY comes of age when it does not normalise ‘othering’. As we observe the International Day of Persons ...