Tension grips Karachi on eve of strike: passenger killed, six vehicles torched

Following the strike call given by the nationalist parties of Sindh for Saturday against the restoration of Sindh Local Governments Ordinance 2001, tension gripped several parts of the city on late Friday, as unknown miscreants torched six vehicles in different areas of the city.
According to reports, unidentified miscreants, who resorted to heavy aerial firing in many areas of the metropolis, set six vehicles including five passenger buses on fire near Nipa Chowrangi, Gulshan Iqbal, Radio Pakistan, Ghaghar Phattak, Keamari, Orangi Town and North Nazimabad. Several areas including Empress Market, Hassan Square, Burns Road, Mashriq Centre, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Steel Town, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Sacchal, Baldia Town, Ittehad Town, Malir, echoed with gun fire, as unknown armed men resorted to heavy aerial firing in various areas.
Two bystanders Nabeel and Farooq injured at Empress Market where unidentified armed men restored to heavy gunshots to force shopkeepers to shut their shops. The nationalist parties of Sindh have given a peaceful strike call for Saturday against the restoration of Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001, which has been supported by ANP, Sunni Tehreek, Jamaat-i-Islami, JUI and others.
A passenger was burnt to death while over a half dozen others sustained burn injuries when unidentified armed men torched a passenger bus (W-11) near Humayun Centre, Keamari within the jurisdiction of Jackson police station. Police said the armed men set the bus on fire by using inflammable substance. They said the deceased and injured were shifted to Burns Ward of Civil Hospital, Karachi.
Meanwhile, unidentified miscreants also pelted stones on moving vehicles at various parts of the metropolis. Subsequently, heavy contingent of police and Rangers were deployed in the affected areas to bring law and order situation in control.