KARACHI - Police arrested 50 suspects belonging to different political parties in the wake of increasing knife attacks in separate parts of city. The overnight operations were carried out in parts of District East including Gulshan-e-lqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Sharae Faisal, Aziz Bhatti, PIB Colony and New Town.

Police officials said that for the first time police also detained the workers from the different political parties including Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, MQM-London, Pakistan People’s Party and Pak Sarzameen Party.

Police officials said that most of the suspects were also released after they were found involved during initial course of investigations. “We detained some 50 suspects,” confirmed District East SSP Samiullah Soomro. “Some 27 suspects have so far been released after they found uninvolved during initial investigations.”

SSP Soomro said that some 50 per cent of the detainees belonged to the political parties, adding that the police took actions, particularly against the political workers after the police got intelligence information over their suspicious involvement. On the other hand, the families of the detainees also staged a protest against their loved ones apprehensions. A large number of family members and relatives of the detainees also staged a protest outside the Gulshan-e-lqbal police station and demanded their immediate release. Their families claimed that their loved ones are the students and detained while the friends were sitting at the hotels as per routine.

So far at least 13 women have been injured in several incidents in parts of District East including Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Dalmia, Rashid Minhas Road, Pehlwan Goth and PIB Colony while over a dozen cases have also been injured since such incidents began on September 25. The police have also issued suspect’s picture with brief details multiple times seeking the help from the citizens while also announced reward money of Rs1 million for citizens for helping police in tracing and arresting a suspect.

Apart from the district East, at least two similar incidents of women stabbing have also so far been occurred in District Central while the District Central police also deployed at least 25 lady police in the district about to protect the women and arrest the knifeman. Meanwhile, the police investigators have also lost their hopes with the already arrested prime suspect Waseem who is in custody of Sahiwal police as what the police investigators said that they didn’t find anything so far that could confirm his involvement in women stabbing in Karachi.