Karachi violence: Toll hits 100,forces rescue trapped people

Hundreds of people stranded by five days of violence were rescued by paramilitary forces.

Hundreds of people stranded by five days of violence in this Pakistani port city were today rescued by paramilitary forces as continued ethnic clashes claimed 100 lives.

Thousands of people have been stuck in the violence-hit areas of the city unable to move out as groups of heavily-armed people traded fire rockets at each other,paralysing the country’s financial capital.

“We are moving the families to safe places and the exercise continues. Rangers troops helped mainly people in Qasba Colony and adjoining areas,” a paramilitary Rangers spokesman said.

Five more people were killed in the overnight incident of firing,taking the death toll to 100,police sources said. Yesterday 30 people were killed on the fourth day of violence.

Several stranded people told local TV channels that they could not eat for four days as all roads had been closed and they could not go out because of continued firing.

“I am taking food to my family members after four days as routes are opened now,” a resident of Qasba Colony,the most affected area,told reporters today.

Hundreds of families had been trapped in Qasba Colony and adjoining areas amid no power and water supply. Many families were willing to abandon their homes even at the risk of their properties being taken over by miscreants,but could not do so for fear of life because of the intense firing.

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Paramilitary Rangers took positions late last night in the most affected areas Orangai town,Qasba Colony and Kati Pahari and started “targeted actions” and also detained several people,police said.

The government of Sindh,of which Karachi is the capital,appointed new Home Minister Manzoor Wasan who said he would meet leaders of all political parties to seek their support for normalcy in Karachi.

Main markets and patrol stations,which had been closed yesterday,opened today as life returned to normalcy.

The Sindh government authorized the Rangers to exercise the powers of police officers to “use necessary force to prevent terrorist acts” as steps promised and taken hitherto failed to stop killings in Karachi.

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Karachi has been rocked by violence despite the presence of President Asif Zardari in the city where he is stationed at the Bilawal house and has held meetings with his aides to discuss the situation.