Ethnic Bloodshed Paralyzes Karachi

By HUMA IMTIAZ

Published: October 20, 201

LAHORE, Pakistan — Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and financial hub, came to a standstill on Wednesday after a spasm of ethnic killings in the city over the past four days left more than 60 people dead.
Public transport services were suspended Wednesday morning and schools and markets remained closed as Karachi reeled from bloodshed the night before. At least 12 people were killed and several injured after gunmen on motorcycles entered a market in Shershah and attacked shopkeepers. In other incidents, Baloch and Pathan residents were also shot dead by gunmen.
Officials at the Edhi Foundation rescue service said at least 25 people had been killed since Tuesday night.
Speaking to Aaj Television, Sindh Province’s home minister, Zulfiqar Mirza, said that the government could impose curfew in parts of Karachi if the situation continued to worsen.
Unrest broke out in the city on Saturday, a day before a by-election was to be held in the city for a provincial assembly seat that had been left vacant after the assassination of a who was gunned down in Karachi in August. The election sparked clashes among ethnic groups that killed at least 22 people over the weekend. The rescue officials said that almost 20 others had died in targeted killing as the violence continued to spread.
Targeted killings of various ethnic groups and political parties’ workers have left more than 300 people dead since 2008. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, representing the Muhajirs of the city and Awami National Party, with a dominant Pathan support base, have had tense relations. The M.Q.M. has accused the A.N.P. of supporting organized crime and the A.N.P. charges that its opponent is a terrorist organization that is responsible for the killings of Pathan residents. Both parties are coalition partners with the ruling Pakistan People’s Party in Sindh.
Karachi is President Asif Ali Zardari home town and is populated by more than 18 million people of different ethnic groups. Karachi’s residents say that the government has failed in its responsibility to maintain law and order.