A political worker of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) lost his life while a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) activist sustained injuries during a violent clash between the two parties late Sunday night in Karachi’s Nazimabad area
According to the police, the deceased has been identified as 44-year-old Faraz Ahmed Qureshi, son of Ghayoor Ahmed Qureshi. The injured youth is identified as 25-year-old Rao Muhammad Talha, son of Rao Muhammad Salim. Talha was initially rushed to a private hospital after receiving initial medical aid. According to local residents, the clash occurred when a PPP rally was passing by the area. They said that some PPP workers attempted to hoist the party flag in front of the MQM-P office which led to exchange of harsh words between the workers of both parties and later escalated to physical violence.
Later, unidentified armed men initiated indiscriminate firing, while some individuals also attacked vehicles with sticks. The locals said that the firing was so intense that it could be heard from a considerable distance. Police vehicles from Gulbahar Police Station reached the scene, but the firing persisted, they lamented.
During this time, unidentified individuals set fire to two vehicles, forcing the owners to abandon them and flee. Subsequently, Rangers arrived in large numbers, bringing an end to the firing. A fire brigade vehicle arrived and extinguished the fire that had engulfed the vehicles. The owners of the burning vehicles reached their cars sitting in the Ranger’s mobile, but by then, both vehicles had been completely destroyed. Police report that the deceased Faraz hailed from the Paposh Nagar area and was in charge of Gulbahar Sectors Unit 38, while the injured, Rao Muhammad Talha, is affiliated with the PPP.