10 killed in Karachi bus attacks

July 7, 2011

achi-bus-attacks.html

At least 10 people were killed and 20 more injured when gunmen sprayed bullets

into two buses in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, where an explosion of

political violence has claimed dozens of lives in recent days.

By Rob Crilly, Islamabad

10:03PM BST 07 Jul 2011

The bloody killings are the latest symptom of ethnic divisions that riddle the

sprawling port city of 18m people, home to terrorists, smugglers and political

gangs.

Sharfuddin Memon, a local government officials said the attackers had not been

identified and had escaped through narrow lanes in the aftermath.

" Unknown armed men intercepted two buses on a road in Banaras Chowk

neighbourhood and shot indiscriminately on the passengers, killing at least 10

and wounding 20 others, " he said.

The bloodshed came during the third day of violence which has killed 50 people.

It pits supporters of the Awami National Party – who originally come from

Pashtun areas of Pakistan close to the Afghan borders – against gangs linked to

the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which was until recently part of the

governing national coalition in Islamabad.

Its decision to leave the government is thought to have sparked the latest

instability, with almost daily drive-by shootings.

The MQM has long ruled Karachi with a fist of iron but fears losing influence as

Karachi, the financial heart of Pakistan, attracts more migrants.

The stability of the city is crucial not just to the country's economy but also

to international forces in Afghanistan, who rely on supplies arriving through

its port.

So far this year, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says 490 people have

been killed in targeted killings, compared with 748 in 2010 and 272 in 2009.

Residents have described living in a state of near siege, confined to their

homes because of indiscriminate shooting. they were virtually confined to their

homes because of indiscriminate firing.

" Many people here had run out of their food stocks. There is no milk for

children and no chance of patients being shifted to hospitals for treatment, "

said Mohammad Asghar, a schoolteacher.

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