KARACHI –At least 11 people including station house officer (SHO) Civil Lines were killed and 21 others injured as violence continued in Lyari on Saturday while security forces were given shoot-on-sight orders to maintain peace in the area.
Lyari gangsters showed stiff resistance to security forces operation using rifles, rockets launchers and hand grenades. Exchange of fire continued throughout the day and 11 people were killed in clashes.
At least 19 people have been killed in two days including three police personnel. Police were struggling to get access to inside Lyari with gangsters were giving tough time to police propelling rockets, hurling hand grenades and firing with automatic weapons.
SHO Civil Lines Fawad Khan and his constable Malik Tasawsar Hussain were killed and many others sustained wounds when Fawad attempted to get inside the Afshani Gali area where gangsters attacked the armed personnel carrier (APC) with rockets and grenades in the limits of Kalakot Police Station.
Witnesses said as the APC carrying police personnel got inside of the Afshani Gali gangsters fired a rocket at the vehicle and resorted to firing. The APC was damaged completely.
Police personnel stayed in the APC to escape the attack as the gunmen were spraying bullets. SHO Civil Lines Fawad Khan, Malik Tasawar Hussain, ASI Iftikhar Ahmed, head constable Intizar Ali Shah and Muhammad Aslam sustained wounds in the attack and taken to the hospital.
Gangsters later torched the police APC and warned law enforcers against advance movements to avoid the same fate.
Heavy contingents of police rushed to rescue the injured personnel and shifted them to hospital where doctors pronounced SHO Fawad Khan and PC Malik Tasawar dead.
Following the incident, police and personnel of Frontier Constabulary intensified the operation and killed Mullah Sohail Baloch, brother of notorious gangster Mullah Nisar in Nawa Lane, Kalakot.
Muhammad Azam, 25, was killed near Cheel Chock, Kalakot Police Station. Luqman Hameed, Shakeel, Akhter Baloch, Wahid Baloch were also killed in different areas of Kalakot and Chakiwara.
As many as 21 people were wounded. Five people with critical injuries were rushed to the Civil Hospital Karachi.
Police sources said at least a dozen rockets were fired in different areas of Lyari.
Sources privy to the matter said that rival gangs headed by Arshad alias Papu and Ghaffar Zikri had been supporting police in fight against Baba Ladla gang with 650 armed fighters.
Police claimed to have control of the 60 per cent Lyari area.
Separately, A 35-year-old man, Yaseen was shot dead  near Mama Hotel at Nayaabad area. A schoolteacher, Rukhsana, was shot dead in Kalakot area near Gabool Park.
Authorities on Saturday also issued shoot-on-sight orders for criminals to maintain law and order and peace in the area.
Agencies add: Gunshots could be heard in the area since morning, sources said. Moreover, footage aired by TV channels showed unidentified men firing in the streets of Lyari.