Karachi: CDGK CCTV footages reveal the culprits

They did it before (2007) and they did it again (2009) — to the city of Karachi, the heart of Pakistani.

While Jamat-e-Islami’s secretary general Liaqat Baloch is holding press conference with the toes on MQM, the city mourns in the damage of 50 families of the death victims and 25000 victims of the lost businesses.

Background

This is yet again a thought provoking and interesting fact that the Government of Sindh, under the booby & dumb chief minister, Qaim Ali Shah, shown another round of demo exactly after 730 days (after two years of 27th December 2007 – BB’s shahadat) by keeping a criminal silence, criminal negligence and putting the residents of Karachi, the citizens of Pakistan and everyone else in the world in shock and amusement!

What the heck was it when the mob was torching vehicles of the law enforcement, stoning bypassing and parked vehicles, and the worst of all began to torch those small businesses – compromising a whopping 5000 number of small shops – doing business of billions and paying millions in taxes and employing people responsible for winning the bread’n'butter of the residents of Karachi – who in these days have to buy eggs @ Rs.90/dozen.

Who responded?

Why the police and rangers didn’t respond? They were there in thousands, some 10000 extra contingent of law enforcement agencies were posted at the spot for the security of the ashura gatherings.

According to sources, when the mayhem began, the police TPO Saddar Town contacted Chief City Police Officer (CCPO) seeking requests to do aerial firing and shelling the mob with tear gas. The TPO Saddar town was disallowed to do anything to handle mobs and told to stay put but must not fire a single round.

As the hour passed they kept tourching businesses and homes at Light House Karachi, the TPO once again approached the CCPO and district DIG but were told to remain criminally silent and let the mob do what they want.

On parallel to all that, the young and energetic mayor of Karachi, Syed Mustafa Kamal was always ready to handle anything and everything which came to him. He observed the situation and took all responsibility onto his shoulders to calm the situation, but unfortunately his fire-brigade tenders were turned down by mobs as they were not even letting the ambulances go. It was all certain what one could expect from the angry mob.

I am going to write answers to all those yet unanswered questions below behind the mastermind who literally wanted to show the dark side to the city.

Karachi shuts to protest Ashura procession attack

KARACHI: Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi nearly shut down on Friday as religious and political leaders called a strike to protest against violence after a suicide bomber killed 43 people at a Ashura procession.







The streets of Karachi were nearly empty. The stock exchange was closed. Karachi Transport Ittihad, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Jaffaria Alliance and several other political parties backed the strike call. The transport is completely off the road, however, private vehicles witnessed on the roads. All papers scheduled today have already been canceled.

Rare Footage of Karachi Blast

Watch More Videos at

http://video.pakistanway.com

Over 10,000 jobs, Rs30bn lost to arson in Karachi

KARACHI: Over 10,000 people have lost their jobs because of a blaze that gutted between 2,000 and 3,000 shops located between Light House and Boulton Market in the old city area on Monday, causing an estimated loss of Rs30 billion.

“Thousands will have nothing to do on Wednesday when they return to markets. They were employed in shops destroyed when certain elements reacted violently after the suicide attack on the Ashura procession,” a shop-owner in the affected locality told Dawn on Tuesday.

About an equal number of people, indirectly associated with the shops, would also be either out of work or face difficulty in finding new work for some time.

Most shops in the area were on ‘pagri’ system, instead of full-fledged ownership. They were also not insured.

Initial estimates of losses were about Rs30 billion, but traders were still updating figures in the hope of getting compensation after Interior Minister Rahman Malik set up a Boulton Market Victims’ Fund on Tuesday with the help of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

The affected shopkeepers cried at a meeting held at the KCCI with Mr Malik. Senior MQM leader Farooq Sattar was also present.

KCCI President Abdul Majid Haji Mohammad said that survey forms had been given to the affected shopkeepers to file details of losses, nature of business, ownership, rent and pagri, CNIC and income tax details.

“These details will be provided to Nadra to ascertain whether the claims are genuine before payment of compensation,” he said.

He said the interior minister did not mention the amount of the fund as he was waiting for the prime minister’s approval.

The KCCI president said that more than 10,000 people working in the shops had lost their jobs.

He, however, recalled that the government had not compensated the traders who had suffered heavy losses on Dec 27, 2007, after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and destruction of the plastic market by a fire a few years ago.

“Only those companies or units were compensated which were insured,” he added. It is difficult to predict the impact on the supply of various items, including medicines, plastic, paper and artificial jewellry, to the retail market after the devastation. Traders said that supply would definitely be hit, especially of plastic and medicines.

Mohammad Ilyas, owner of Chandna Opticals at Light House which was burnt to ashes, said his shop was not insured but the setting up of the fund gave him some hope of getting compensation for his loss.

The chairman of the Old City Traders’ Alliance, Mohammad Jamil Paracha, said the government should rebuild the shops or provide a sufficient amount to the owners for reconstruction.

He said that although most of the shops were on a pagri basis, the shopkeepers were paying taxes and, therefore, there was no question of coming into the tax net after seeking compensation.

Karachi in grip of grief and anger as blast toll rises to 43

KARACHI: A deep sense of grief and anger prevailed in Karachi on Tuesday as victims of Monday’s suicide attack on the main Ashura procession in the city were laid to rest and religious scholars made an impassioned plea for sectarian harmony and peace.

The city was at a standstill with shops and markets, government offices and educational institutions closed and public and private transport off the road.

At least 43 people were killed and 60 others injured when the bomber struck the procession on the M.A. Jinnah Road at about 4.15pm near the Light House area.

The plastic market in the Boulton Market area was ablaze till late in the night on Tuesday — about 40 hours after the tragedy —as fire brigade was unable to cope with a large number of fires raging along the M.A. Jinnah Road.

Monday’s bombing came on the heels of two explosions of low intensity in the city on Saturday and Sunday in which no lives were lost.

The blast hit the front part of the procession which is considered to be most secure because it is guarded by heavy contingents of police and Rangers.

As Ashura mourners realised that a blast had taken place, a large number of them ran in frenzy towards the front looking for relatives and some mourners who were returning home rushed back to the area.

Cellphone networks stopped functioning for some time as families made frantic calls to their dear ones in the procession. “For a few seconds we went numb. Then ambulances started rushing towards the area to rescue the injured and retrieve bodies.

“A few minutes later police vans appeared on the scene and people in the procession vented their anger by pelting police with stones, forcing them to retreat,” Ali Mohsin, a witness, said. Gunshots were also heard amid the mayhem.

The injured were taken to the Civil Hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Aga Khan Hospital. Three scouts and a Rangers official also lost their lives.

A police officer who was at the site told Dawn that the explosion had taken place between a police post and scouts’ camps.

“The bomber apparently tried to step into the middle of the front part of the procession and the explosion took place at the extreme left side,” he said.

“No senior law-enforcement official was able to explain how the suicide bomber had managed to breach several security layers. Some mourners pointed out that the entry point near Subhanallah Bakery was being frequented by VIPs and media personnel and the bomber could have bypassed the security there.

The impact of the blast was so severe that a torso flew in the air and landed on the third floor of a building across the road. Some people left the procession after the explosion, but others stayed put and after reinforcement of security continued their march in a highly charged atmosphere towards Imambargah Husainia Iranian where a majlis of Sham-i-Ghariban was held.

The organisers persuaded security forces to provide cover so that the procession could reach its destination.

It later transpired that police investigators acted in haste and identified the remains of a victim as those of the suicide bomber. They also issued his picture to TV channels. After seeing the footage, the victim’s family contacted the authorities and claimed the remains.

Investigators estimated that approximately 16kgs of explosives and nuts, bolts, and ball bearings had been used in the blast.

City police chief Waseem Ahmed said several bodies and eight limbs were still unclaimed. “We have carried out reconstructive surgery on the remains, but are waiting for claimants. If their heirs don’t turn up we will go for DNA tests and fingerprinting to identify them.”

He said circumstantial evidence suggested that the bomber had used a suicide belt. An FIR was registered by Preedy police on behalf of the state

Death toll rises to 40 as Karachiites survey blast damage

KARACHI: Shop owners surveyed gutted premises and security forces patrolled nearly empty streets in Karachi on Tuesday, a day after a suicide bomber killed 40 people and triggered a city-centre riot.

The bombing of a Shia procession in Karachi underscored multiple security challenges facing Pakistan at a volatile time for embattled President Asif Ali Zardari.

The government launched a security crackdown last October against al-Qaeda-linked Taliban militants in their tribal strongholds in northwest Pakistan and retaliatory bombings since have killed hundreds of people across Pakistan.

A security official arrives at the scene after a suicide bomb attack on a procession of Shias commemorating Ashura in Karachi, December 28, 2009. — Reuters

Karachi Mayor Syed Mustafa Kamal told Reuters the death toll had risen to at least 32, with dozens of injured still in hospitals.

“We have arrested some people and are investigating,” Karachi police chief Waseem Ahmed told Reuters.

“According to our initial investigation, the suicide bomber was aged between

18 and 20, and he used 8-9 kilograms of explosives.”

He said at least 500 shops and nine buildings had been set ablaze in the aftermath of the attack.

The attack may have just been part of a series of bombings designed to spread panic or an attempt to ignite sectarian violence to pile more pressure on security forces.

“It is clear that the terrorists are very well organised. They want to destabilise the country,” said Anjum Naqvi, who was part of the bombed procession.

Transport idle, shops closed

The provincial government of Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital, declared a public holiday, though banks and the stock market remained open. Public transport was out of service and most shops and petrol pumps were shut after religious and political parties called for a day of mourning.

“Our office and the whole building is completely burnt. Everything has been destroyed,” said Saleem Khan, who runs a car rental business along what is normally a busy road.

A spokesman for the paramilitary rangers, Major Aurangzeb, said his forces were “on 100 per cent deployment and will take every possible step to maintain peace”.

Some grieved before attending funerals, which can be risky — militants have bombed funerals for their victims, usually in the northwest. Others said their lives had been shattered.

“I know it's a huge loss for the families of those who were killed. But what about our families? We are alive and have lost everything,” said Muhammad Shams, owner a shop which makes plastic.

A teeming city of 18 million, Karachi has a long history of ethnic and factional violence, although it has been spared the brunt of Taliban attacks over the past couple of years.

Investors have factored in the violence. But sustained troubles could hurt financial markets in an economy in virtual recession. The stock market opened over one per cent lower.

In Monday's bloodshed, the assailant blew himself up at a march by thousands of people marking the climax of Ashura, the Shia calendar's biggest event, despite heavy security.

The attack was the third in as many days in Karachi.

“Karachi is the heart of the country and any incident here does have a negative impact on investor sentiment,” said Mohammed Sohail, chief executive of brokerage Topline Securities.

Aside from al-Qaeda linked militants bent on toppling his government, the president is also under political pressure.

Some of Zardari's closest aides and thousands of members of his party could face renewed corruption charges which could weaken him further at a time when the United States is pushing his government for tougher action against militants.

CCTV footage of Karachi Blast 9 Dec 28, 2009

Karachi shuts down, mourns attack on Shia procession

KARACHI: Karachi shut down Tuesday to mourn at least 33 people killed in a suicide bombing at a Shia procession on their holiest day.

Monday's blast sparked riots in Pakistan's largest city where angry mourners went on the rampage, throwing stones at ambulances, torching cars and shops and firing bullets into the air, sparking appeals for calm.

“The death toll has risen to 33 and there are more than 60 people who were wounded,” said Saghir Ahmed, health minister of the southern Sindh province of which Karachi is capital.





Investigators said the upper part of the bomber had been retrieved from the blast site, the busy Mohammad Ali Jinnah road where several wholesale markets of plastic goods and other merchandise are situated.

“The explosion ripped his legs off but the upper part of his body remained intact with his head. The bomber used 16 kilograms of highly explosive material in his attack,” said bomb disposal official Munir Shaikh.

Firefighters struggled throughout the night to extinguish a fire at the nearby markets that was set ablaze by angry mourners, as stunned vendors waited helplessly for an opportunity to salvage anything left.

An AFP reporter said the area was littered with abandoned sandals, water bottles, lunch boxes and charred wreckage of cars and buses. Traffic was thin because the government announced a day of mourning.

The bomber blew himself up alongside Pakistan's main parade for Ashura when Shias mourn the death of Imam Hussein.

Mohammad Hanif, a plastic toys vendor, told AFP outside his ruined shop that the bombing had robbed him of his livelihood.

“Terrorists have not only killed people attending the procession, but they killed us and our families who depended on this shop,” Hanif said, tears in his eyes.

Karachi Mayor Mustafa Kamal said losses could run into millions of rupees and said the government would do everything to compensate traders.

“The losses are huge. We will try to compensate people as much as we can with the help of federal and provincial governments,” Kamal told AFP.

Sindh police chief Salahuddin Babar Khattak said a special investigation team had been set up to probe the bombing.

Preparations to bury the dead were in progress with funeral prayers scheduled later Tuesday.

Suicide attack on Ashura procession kills 33 in Karachi

KARACHI: A suicide bomber on Monday targeted Pakistan's largest procession of Shiite Muslims on their holiest day, killing at least 33 people and wounding dozens more in defiance of a major security crackdown.

The blast sparked riots in Karachi, the financial capital, where angry mourners went on the rampage, throwing stones at ambulances, torching cars and shops and firing bullets into the air, sparking appeals for calm.

Pakistan had deployed tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces, fearing militant attacks on Ashura processions.

“The blast was so huge that I felt my hearing had gone, but then I started hearing cries of injured people and saw pieces of human flesh and blood on the road,” said Abbas Ali, 35, one of the mourners thrown to the ground.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik blamed Tehreek-e-Taliban, against which the military has been waging a major operation in near the Afghan border, and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, another of Pakistan's most feared Islamist networks.

“At least 30 people have been killed so far in the suicide attack and 63 others have been injured,” provincial health minister Saghir Ahmed told AFP.

“We have declared emergency at all hospitals in Karachi and doctors are making every effort to save the injured. The situation is very grim,” he added.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road, where the attack happened, was ablaze with burning cars and motorcycles, and covered in debris from buildings attacked by rioters, said an AFP correspondent.

Firefighters battled helplessly to quench the flames engulfing buildings and shopkeepers stood crying outside their businesses going up in smoke.

“We are using our maximum resources available to put out the fire which is still raging in the markets,” said city mayor Mustafa Kamal.

Karachi has escaped most of the bomb attacks that have battered the northwest and other major cities.

Monday's attack was the deadliest in Karachi since a suicide bomber targeted the homecoming of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto — who was assassinated two months later — killing at least 139 people in October 2007.

It was the third attack on Ashura commemorations in Pakistan this year. A suicide attack at a Shiite mosque in Pakistani-administered Kashmir on Sunday killed seven people. Explosives wounded 17 people in Karachi on the same day.

Police said two suspects were arrested at the bomb site, and said a sketch of the bomber would be issued based on the discovery of his severed head.

A spokesman for the paramilitary Rangers said one of their members died as he pinned down the suicide bomber, claiming that otherwise the blast would have inflicted far more casualties.

“Our soldier Abdul Razzaq spotted the suicide bomber and jumped on him and both fell to the road after which the bomber exploded himself,” spokesman Major Mohammad Aurangzeb told AFP.

After the attack, furious mourners set ablaze dozens of shops and vehicles, beating up police and paramilitary Ranger personnel, witnesses said.

Thick black smoke filled the sky and explosions of fuel tanks further panicked residents on Mohammad Ali Jinnah Road as ambulances raced to ferry casualties to hospital.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the latest blast and appealed to the masses to remain peaceful.