By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistani paramilitary forces have started rescuing people, who had been stranded in the violence-hit areas in the southern port city of Karachi over the past five days, officials said Saturday
Death toll from the incidents of firing and grenade attacks in five days reached 100, police sources and local media reported. Five more people were killed in overnight incident of firing, police sources said. Only on Friday 30 people lost their lives on the fourth day of violence.
Several stranded people told local TV channels on Saturday that they could not eat for four days as all roads had been closed and they could not go out of continued firing.
“I am taking food to my family members after four days as routes are opened now,” a resident of Qasba Colony, the most affected area, told reporters on Saturday.
Hundreds of families had been trapped in Qasba Colony and adjoining areas amid no power and water supply. Many families were willing to abandon their homes even at the risk of their properties being taken over by miscreants, but could not do so for fear of life because of the intense firing.
Paramilitary force ‘Rangers’ took positions late Friday night in the most affected areas –Orangai town, Qasba Colony and Kati Pahari and started ‘targeted actions’ and also detained several people, police said.
The government of Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital, appointed new Home Minister, Manzoor Wasan, who said he would meet leaders of all political parties to seek their support for normalcy in Karachi.
Main markets and patrol stations, which had been closed on Friday, opened on Saturday as life returned to normalcy.
The Sindh government authorized the Rangers to exercise the powers of police officers to ‘use necessary force to prevent terrorist acts’ as steps promised and taken hitherto failed to stop killings in Karachi.
A Rangers spokesman said personnel of the paramilitary force had helped evacuate hundreds of people trapped in strife-torn areas.
“We are moving the families to safe places and the exercise continues. Rangers troops helped mainly people in Qasba Colony and adjoining areas,” he said.