Karachi Violence

Police claim 45 people have been killed in Karachi since the assassination of a senior leader of the city’s dominant political party. Raza Haider belonged to the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) political party. He was killed by unknown gunmen riding motorcycles.

There has been an outbreak of violence, protesters have set fire to a number of vehicles and private and government properties across Karachi.

Paramilitary forces have been deployed to assist police bring the situation under control, but there was no let-up in the violence. Traffic was thin as schools closed and business activity halted.
The Federal Interior told lawmakers the assassination could be the work of Taliban-linked militants, including Sunni militant Sipah-e-Sahab Pakistan, and are trying to fuel political tensions by carrying out such attacks.
Leaders of MQM, which represent the majority Urdu-speaking community, blamed the attack on a rival political force, the Awami National Party (ANP) which is a representative of Karachi ‘s ethnic Pashtun population. The two political forces have routinely blamed each other for deadly attacks on their activists. Both MQM and ANP are part of the ruling coalition in the federal government.

Pakistani officials also blame drug lords for the unrest in Karachi, saying these elements take advantage of the political tension in the city, making it difficult for the police to go after the real culprits

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