Pakistan: Fear reigns supreme as city hit with more mayhem

KARACHI: Violence paralysed civic life in the city on Wednesday. All activities were suspended, and traffic on major arteries came to a standstill for hours. Hundreds of thousands of private as well as public transport vehicles that could not make it off the roads in time remained stranded in massive traffic jams after riots erupted Wednesday afternoon in Saddar Town, the city


Several reports of crossfire also came in from many parts of the city, and vehicles at various locations were set on fire and pelted with stones by miscreants. News of the violence spread like wildfire across the city, causing citizens to panic. The situation was brought under control however, after an hours-long struggle by security forces.

People commuting to and from Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and Sohrab Goth were greatly inconvenienced due to a shortage of public transport on M.A. Jinnah Road and linking arteries. These people therefore had to use Sharea Faisal, Stadium Road and Rashid Minhas Road to get to their destinations.

Some petrol pumps, especially those in sensitive areas, were also closed. Those pumps that were daring enough to remain open were thronged by vehicles whose owners, fearing the worst, were looking to fuel up in case a curfew-like situation persisted and forced petrol stations to remain closed for an extended period.

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