KARACHI, June 18: The gang warfare that has claimed more than a hundred lives during the past few years in Lyari – the city’s oldest locality and a stronghold of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party – still haunts thousands of the poor residents.

With a population of over 600,000, Lyari is considered as one of the most backward localities in terms of infrastructure and social development, where potable water is scarce and sewerage water swamps many of its narrow traffic-choked lanes and streets. On top of it are the gangs of criminals, who openly sell narcotics, extort money from people to allow them to do their business and carry on with their daily life.

Street crimes, thefts and robberies and even murders remain a daily occurrence as each gang is aggressively trying to establish its supremacy over the other.

For more than four hours on Tuesday, the entire locality, particularly the union councils of Shah Beg, Baghdadi and Chawkiwara and its adjoining areas, was made hostage by gangsters. Shopkeepers pulled down their shutters and residents stayed inside home. Gunshots were heard in the areas as intermittent firing continued for several hours till late night.

Residents and eyewitnesses say that police did not patrol the area where the gangsters of rival groups exchanged gunfire that killed two people and wounded six others, including a woman. There was a curfew-like situation in Baghdadi, Kalri and Shah Beg Lane as gangsters took over and intermittent firing continued, they say.

During the past few years, over 100 people were killed in the warfare between two rival gangs. Police and paramilitary rangers utterly failed to control the fast deteriorating crime situation, which is confined to four union councils.

Residents hold the security forces and political leadership equally responsible for the present mess, saying that it was their responsibility to establish the rule of the law in Lyari, better known as a stronghold of the ruling party. Certain crime mafias have for long overshadowed the locality’s once influential political leadership most of whom stood for progressive and liberal politics during the darkest days of General Zia’s martial law.

Agreeing that the entire Lyari has become hostage to the gangs of criminals, a senior worker of the Pakistan People’s Party said, “The authorities are making only half-hearted attempts to fight these gangs.”A senior political worker of the locality said the two gangs were not only killing each other’s active members but also targeting their friends, relatives and family members, who had nothing to do with the mafias.

The authorities lately mounted an aggressive crackdown in Lyari after transferring and posting some police officials there, but the operation was abruptly stopped without citing any reason although area residents heaved a sigh of relief when the operation was in its initial stage.

Police have always blamed the local political leadership for creating “hindrances in mopping up operation” while the political leadership accused the “government agencies” of supporting and using these criminal groups for the promotion of their own agendas. The crime situation in the locality still remains unchanged and frequent incidents of firing, snatching of cellular phones, wallets and extortion of money have become a daily occurrence.

A community leader said when the government agencies and security forces were in the control of the same party which was voted by the residents of Lyari, who should be held responsible for giving a free hand to the mafias.