Despite watertight security for general elections, clashes between activists of different political parties took place in Karachi on Monday in which at least 12 people were injured and 24 were arrested.
While law enforcement agencies comprising police and Pakistan Rangers, backed by Pakistan Army, kept a vigilant eye on the law and order situation and guarded almost each and every corner of the city, some miscreants made their way to disturb the mostly peaceful polling climate.
Hot clashes between activists of various political parties, mostly due to alleged poll irregularities, were reported from Landhi, Quaidabad, Gulbahar, Ranchor Lines, Lyari, Baldia Town, Orangi Town, PIB Colony, Nazimabad, North Karachi, Keamari, Shah Faisal Colony, Sher Shah, Malir, etc.
According to police sources, the political fighters used stones and batons, which resulted in minor injuries to over 12 people in different neighbourhoods of the city which were already declared sensitive, in terms of polling, by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Pakistan Rangers arrested at least eight people for display of firearms, which was banned by the ECP election duration, while police nabbed over 18 people of various political backgrounds prominently from Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
The police arrested at least seven PPP activists, Arbab, Ameer Abdullah, Mohammad Idrees, Wazir Murad, Mehrban, Munir and Muhammad Jamil from Garden Chowk and recovered two rifles and two 9 mm guns and seized two vehicles, sources said.
The Rangers also shackled a PPP activist Khan Bacha for showing a pistol in Allama Iqbal School Polling Station in PS-89. Two personal security guards of Irfanullah Khan Marwat, an independent candidate for PS-114, were also arrested by the Rangers for carrying automatic weapons.
The police also put seven private security guards to shackles in Baloch Colony for show of weapons in civil dress. Those arrested were Arsalan Khan, Mohammad Munir, Syed Khurram, Gul Sher, Younas Ali, Ramzan and Umer Din, sources said.
Incidents of aerial firing were also reported from different neighbourhoods including Risala, Drug Road, Surjani Town, Shurafi Town, Balcoh Colony, Garden, Orangi Town, Landhi, etc.
A large number of law enforcers, however, were quick in bringing the situation under control and used batons at some places like Dawood Roundabout in Shurafi Goth where a mob threatened the law and order in front of police station.
The political parties like PPP, MQM, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) etc stuck to their traditional attitude of accusing each other of rigging the polls. Ahmed Ali of JUI in NA-243 and PS-97, 98 alleged that the elections were being rigged as their (JUI's) polling agents were forcibly sent out from the polling stations.
The Chief Election Commissioner also received a formal complaint of rigging from the PPP spokesman who claimed that the PPP polling agents were not being allowed entry in three polling stations--Nabi Bagh School, Fazal-ur-Rehman School and Women College Burns Road--in NA-250.
To watch arrangements for controlling law and order situation Sindh Home Minister Akhtar Zamin visited the Central Control Room at Home Department Sindh and Central Police Office. The minister in a meeting with Home Secretary and IGP Sindh Azhar Ali Farooqui directed the two officials to deal with the miscreants with an iron hand.
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