Karachi: While suicide attacks are considered to be the deadliest menace in the terrorism-hit Pakistan, the political phenomenon like target killings are taking a toll in the country
heavier than that of the suicide blasts in terms of casualties.
According to statistics, while 49 sporadic suicide attacks during the current year till Dec 10 killed at least 1,138 people across the country the death toll for, what the analysts believe, the politically-motivated target killings stands at 1,1510 in Karachi.
Sources in the law enforcement agencies told The News Tribe that Balochistan and Fata remained the hot-spots for suicide bombing as maximum number of blasts and the resultant casualties were reported from there despite tall claims of the federal interior ministry.
This commercial hub of the country, Karachi, also remained a hot target of the terrorists who, in at least five suicide and planted bombings during the current year, killed as many as 57 people, wounding some 223 others.
According to data, however, unveils that casualties in target killings outnumbered the death toll for bomb blasts during current year.
Unofficial data showed that the murder of at least 1,510 people, most of them politically-affiliated, during the current year was making mockery of the country’s so-called efficient law enforcement agencies.
Out of the total killed, some 73 persons were killed in ‘target killings’, including 21 people targetted only in three days of December in spree of targeted killings, revealed a data compiled by this scribe.
According to the data, some 122 people were killed in the city during the month of January, 133 in February, 130 in March, 130 in April, 144 in May, 122 in June, 135 in July, 176 in August, 71 in September, 173 in October, 91 in November and 84 in December. The figure shows ill performance of law enforcement agencies tasked to control the law and order in the metropolis.
Out of the total, 763 were political activists from whom 78 belonged to the MQM-H, 51 to MQM, 63 to ANP, 27 to PPP, six to Jamat-e-Islami, 46 to Ahle Sunnatwaljamat, five to Punjabi Pakhtoon Itehad, five to Sunni Tehreek and Jash-e-Muhammad lost two activists.
On the other hand, killings of government employees, including LEA’s personnel increasing in the city. During the last three months, 29 government employees were gunned down from whom 17 belonged to Sindh police, four to Pakistan Rangers. Six doctors were also gunned down in target killing.
Sources in police said that the police department is not responsible for increase in crime ratio day by day. Political and influential personalities are supporting the criminals, which is the main cause of increase in killings in the city.
The law enforcement agencies arrested more than 113 people involved in negative activities in December, but could not keep most of them in custody for more than half-an-hour as government personalities ordered us for their release, the source said.—By M T Habib
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