News| Pakistan
Karachi police chief fired over riots
 

Karachi: The government fired the police chief of Pakistan's largest city with officials close to President Musharraf said sweeping administrative changes were expected in Karachi.

Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammed Mahar yesterday sacked three senior police officials following the latest spate of sectarian violence that exposed the grave security challenge in this main port city.

The Karachi Police Chief Asad Ashraf Malick was among those who was sacked, Muizz Pirzada, a spokesman of the Sindh Police told Gulf News.

Sanaullah Abbasi and Fayyaz Qureshi – the top officials of Saddar and Jamshaid towns respectively – have also been asked to relinquish their positions, he said.

The Saddar and Jamshaid towns were the worst hit neighbourhoods in the latest wave of violence in which 25 people have been killed since Sunday.

Mahar visited the central police headquarters and held a detailed security briefing following which he announced the sacking of these officials.

"We cannot leave Kar-achi at the mercy of terrorists," Mahar told reporters after the briefing.

"We cannot afford any negligence when the lives and property of people are at stake," he said ordering the police to do their best to improve the law and situation and bring normalcy back to Karachi.

The replacements of the sacked police officials are likely to be announced today.

Karachi is rife with speculations that Musharraf could replace the Sindh chief minister or call the army for help control the law and order problem.

Asad Ashraf Malick, the additional inspector general of police, was the chief investigating officer of the murder case of the hard line cleric Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai who was assassinated on Sunday by unidentified gunmen.

Extremists are suspected of having hit back a day after by carrying a bombing attack on a mosque that killed 20 people, sparking widespread riots in the city's main commercial districts.

Police said around 10 kg of explosives were used in the deadly attack. "The bomber was either carrying the explosive under his clothes or in a hand bag," one official said.

Business centres in Karachi remained shuttered yesterday for the third day in a row and police reported sporadic violence.

Abdul Hameed Khan, a leading timber dealer in Karachi, said the violence had hit hard the businesses. "In May alone, we lost 12 working days because of the violence," he said.

"If economic activity in Karachi is hit, all the government's efforts to boost economic growth would go down the drain."

On May 7, a suicide bombing at a mosque killed 24 people.

 
 
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