30 dead in new Karachi violence, gang wars blamed

KARACHI: Up to 30 people have been killed in a fresh outbreak of violence in Karachi, but police on Thursday said the clashes now focused more on gang turf wars after months of ethnic and political disputes.

Much of the fighting erupted in and around the old district of Lyari, long a focus of spats between rival gangs and a stronghold of President Asif Ali Zardari'a Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

A former PPP lawmaker was among the dead.

An official at the city's main government hospital put the death toll at 30 over the past 24 hours. Nineteen bodies had been brought in since Wednesday evening.

"Most of the killings have resulted from clashes between criminal gangs operating in Lyari and surrounding areas," a senior police official said.

"It's not the kind of fighting that we saw last month, this is more of a gang war."

But police said turf wars between gangs dealing in drugs and extortion rackets were by no means a new development in Lyari.

"These gangs regularly clash and kill members and supporters of rival groups," the senior official said.

"Many times, innocent people are also targeted in this rivalry. However, many of those killed end up linked to one gang or the other. He acknowledged that "a few" of those killed may have been targeted over their ethnic or political affiliation.

Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik earlier this month vowed to restore peace in the city after a fresh bout of violence and warned of stern action against militants and criminals.

Hundreds of additional police and paramilitary troops were deployed in Karachi last month to quell the unrest.

About 300 people were killed last month - one of the deadliest months in almost two decades - in fighting linked to ethnic and religious tensions that plague Karachi.

According to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 800 people have been killed in the first seven months of this year in ethnic and politically linked violence alone.

Copyright Reuters, 2011