KARACHI, Jan 6: The computer centre, library, industrial home, technical centre, eye clinic, typing institute, boxing club and dental clinic all set up and run by the Lyari Community Development Project in the Lyari Town have suffered considerable damage in the violence that ravaged many such institutions in the town in the aftermath of Ms Benazir Bhutto’s assassination on Dec 27.

A pubic welfare institution, the LCDP had been playing a commendable role for years in imparting technical education to children and youths to enable them to have a respectable livelihood. At the same time, the institution was rendering valuable medical services to the ailing humanity of the town, mostly comprising the low-income group.

These facilities were attacked by rioters who went on the rampage taking advantage of the charged atmosphere that prevailed across the country after the death of Ms Bhutto. The rioters either damaged or took away everything present in these facilities before setting the project’s building ablaze.

Mohammad Hussain Mehnati, Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami, Karachi, visited the institution on Sunday as part of the party’s initiative to assess the losses incurred during the violence.

He was of the view that the losses suffered by businessman community, industrialists and individuals were colossal. He held the government functionaries concerned and the law-enforcement agencies responsible for the losses, accusing them of negligence and dereliction of duty.

Mr Mehnati said the situation could have been brought under control immediately after the riots broke out had the government taken interest in maintaining law and order.

He claimed that the law-enforcement agencies had left citizens at the mercy of the anti-social elements.He said the colossal losses suffered by masses had no precedent in the history of Karachi.

He also demanded appropriate actions against all those who were involved in the rioting and also those who failed to check them.