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Violence claims 108 lives in Karachi in one month

Xinhua, February 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

Over 108 people have been killed in separate incidents of target killings based on political, personal and religious enmities in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi during the month of January, officials said.

Karachi police issued a reported Friday saying that 18 policemen, two paramilitary troops and fiver doctors were also among the people who became a target of unidentified gunmen in the city since the beginning of New Year.

The report said that people belonging to various political parties were also killed in separate incidents of gunfire in the city.

Several people associated with seminaries and religious groups also became victims of the bullets which were fired on the basis of religious differences.

The police report came a day after the country's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a high level meeting in the city to review its law and order situation.

Heading the meeting attended by top political leaders and military officials in the city, the PM ordered probe into the killings and sought report from police chief and director general of Paramilitary troops' stationed in Sindh province with Karachi as capital city.

In an earlier report last month, Karachi Police said that more than 40 groups of banned militants group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are active in the city who are allegedly involved in extortion, target killings, kidnapping for ransom and other terrorist activities in the city..

Police and other law enforcement agencies are also conducting targeted operations since September 2013 in various areas of the city to curb militancy and extortion.

A rapid response forces has also been formed in the city for arresting extortionists.

The ongoing operation that was started on the directives of Federal Government, has brought mixed results, as the police and paramilitary troops have arrested thousands of militants and killed hundreds of them in encounters, yet extortion mafia is still active in the city and no let-up is seen in target killings so far. Endit