Islamabad: Pakistan has banned public political meetings in its largest city of Karachi in an effort to control a renewed wave of targeting killings, an AFP report said yesterday.
"The government has banned public political meetings for a month as a way of controlling the targeted killings," the agency said quoting Waqar Mehdi, an aide to the chief minister of the southern province of Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital.
"The decision was taken late Tuesday night and we have issued a notification to this effect," he said.
The measure applies to all large public meetings, rallies and demonstrations except for funeral processions. "There is a persistent possibility of terrorism activity during the large meetings and rallies as terrorists could inflict heavy damage to life and property," Mehdi said.
Meanwhile, four more people, including a police officer, were shot dead in Karachi, police and media reports said.
The attacks by hit-and-run gun men occurred in three areas, raising to more than 15 the death toll in sectarian violence in a fortnight. The authorities had deployed paramilitary rangers in the affected areas, giving them powers to search any place and arrest suspects.
Earlier this year the port city witnessed targeted killings linked to ethnic and political factors but the current bloody cycle is of sectarian nature.
Prominent daily Dawn in an editorial yesterday called for tough action against criminals behind the killings and their support networks.
"Banned sectarian terror outfits must be permanently put out of business and not allowed to regroup under different names. The madness has to end," said the editorial.
— With additional inputs from AFP
