Karachi: The city came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday morning after police arrested former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Nadeem Hashmi.
A murder case has been registered against him.
Unknown men set four vehicles on fire in different parts of the city.
Petrol pumps, markets and public transport and all schools remained closed anticipating more violence and vandalism.
The sudden closure of the city came in the backdrop of the overnight murders of two police officers when a patrolling van was attacked by unknown men. The two officers were seriously injured and later died at hospital.
Hashmi was arrested during a raid at his residence. Other MQM workers were also arrested. A murder case has been registered against the former MPA.
MQM said that the arrest of its senior leader suggested that a hidden agenda was in place to distract officials from the operation that was targeted against criminals, gangsters and militants.
“There is a hidden force which is bent upon sabotaging the federal government’s efforts to restore peace in Karachi,” MQM senior leader Hyder Abbas Rizvi told a press conference.
He expressed concern that an attempt was being made to shift the focus from the ongoing operation.
“It would have been disastrous for the peace efforts if MQM is targeted again like it was targeted in the 1990s,” he said.
“The transparency of the operation is getting opaque now and the operation is getting highly politicised,”
The undeclared strike extended to other cities of the Sindh province as unknown men fired on the streets in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allahyar and Latifabad.
Examinations were also postponed at different universities.
Meanwhile, paramilitary rangers carried out operations in different parts of the city and arrested 12 suspects. A spokesman of the rangers told media that the operations were carried out in Saddar, Ranchor Lane; Ghass Mandi; Salar Compound; North Nazimabad and PNT colony. Later in the day Al Karam Square was also besieged and a search operation was conducted.
The killings came down significantly after the law enforcement agencies began their crackdowns in the different parts of the city.
Interior minister Nisar Ali Khan last evening told a press conference that after a very long time no murder had taken place in Karachi in a single day.
However, late on Tuesday evening the killings resumed and at least eight people were gunned down, including the two police officials.
