KARACHI: As a turf war rages in various pockets of Lyari, people from the strife-torn locality seek refuge in the gradually disappearing safe areas.

Just a day ago, seven families from Dubai Chowk, Kalri and Gul Mohammad Lane — where a splinter group belonging to Noor Mohammad aka Baba Ladla is active —left for Sharok Lane near Cheel Chowk.

Living at a relative’s home, the women in the family refused to say much when asked about the situation in their part of the town. Those who stayed back needed immediate help, the residents said.

“The shops are closed; the men can’t go to work. There’s utter chaos, but so far no one has come forward to help us. We have been left to die,” said a man, resident of Dubai Chowk, standing in front of a roadside cafe at Cheel Chowk.

Requesting not to be named, a man from a family that had shifted from Dubai Chowk agreed to speak inside a school on Sharok Lane, out of fear of being recognised and “picked by the other group’s men”.

“At present we are hosting seven families. They left their homes after they were harassed for not letting armed men use their roofs as pickets,” he said, speaking quietly. Though he lives in a two-room flat of his own, he is not financially stable enough to provide for all of them, but added that he could not let them go back to those areas either.

People living on Sharok Lane, and those familiar with similar previous gang warfare, said Lyari had been divided into two zones now. Scared of taking names, most people referred to the two groups headed by Peoples Amn Committee leader Uzair Jan Baloch and Noor Mohammad aka Baba Ladla as “group A and B”.

“We are being very careful about who we confide in. Commenting or passing an opinion is completely out of the question as it can land you in a gutter,” said a resident, looking over his shoulder as he spoke.

A Pakistan Peoples Party representative in the area, requesting not to be named, said that earlier it seemed that Baba Ladla had command over most areas, “but since yesterday afternoon, the fight is even”.

On Sunday, around 2pm, Baba Ladla’s men allegedly took over the Football House, at the back of Aath Chowk, resulting in intense exchange of fire between the two sides, area people said. “Though the Rangers personnel intervened at one point, it was evident that the Football House and the surrounding area is a ‘no-go zone’ for Uzair’s men.”

According to the PPP representative, there are eight to 10 streets or lanes that are controlled by Baba Ladla’s men. They include Rangiwara, which houses the Lyari General Hospital as a referring point, Dubai Chowk, which is opposite the LGH, and streets surrounding the chowk. Also, Phool Patti Lane, Kalri, which is right ahead, and Gulistan Colony, where Uzair’s armed men, headed by Faisal Pathan, are said to be holding the fort.

“The fight on Sunday afternoon was to get the Jumman Shah Plot in Eidgah from Baba Ladla’s men. And as we speak, Uzair’s men have also taken control of Gul Mohammad Lane,” the official said, adding that the aim was to “confine Baba Ladla’s men to a few streets, such as Kalri and Dubai Chowk.”

The explanations and area-wise descriptions of hold and power, however, vary, depending on which side one is speaking to.

A few months ago, people belonging to the Kutchhi community migrated to Badin when an armed conflict erupted between the Kutchhi Rabita Committee and the Peoples Amn Committee. Facing a similar situation, but a slightly different one since those fighting are the ones who apparently own the area, people around Lyari do not know what the future holds for them.

Amid all the violence, the people are left to fend for themselves and make up their own theories. While some think that it is “pre-election violence”, others call it “an issue that needs will of the lawmakers”.

A resident, who only gave his first name, Rashid, angrily said: “If the paramilitary forces can’t protect us, they should at least inform us, so that we can move somewhere else. I don’t want to be killed by a random bullet and be counted among the gangsters.”