Pakistan’s Military Concerned About Karachi Violence

Posted August 8th, 2011 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

Pakistan's military has expressed concern about the ongoing political and ethnic violence in the southern port city of Karachi, where more than 200 people were killed in July.

During a meeting Monday in Rawalpindi, army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and other military commanders discussed the situation in the country's economic hub and its implications on the national economy.

Islamabad has deployed additional police and paramilitary forces to the city of 18 million people to quell the violence, which has escalated in recent months. Pakistan's military said it expected that these measures would help remedy the situation.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said authorities were cracking down on illegal firearms in the city. He said Monday that all arms licenses will be canceled at the end of the month and owners will have to re-register their weapons. Anyone subsequently found to have an unlicensed firearm could be tried in anti-terrorism courts.

Authorities say the killings are part of clashes between main political groups, which represent two different ethnic communities. The political parties are also said to have links to armed criminal gangs.

In other violence, a military vehicle hit a roadside bomb in the South Waziristan tribal region late Sunday. The blast wounded at least 10 soldiers.

In Washington Monday, the U.S. State Department renewed a travel warning for Americans traveling or living in Pakistan.

The document says the presence of al-Qaida, Taliban elements and indigenous militant sectarian groups poses a potential threat to U.S. citizens throughout Pakistan.

U.S. nationals in Pakistan are strongly urged to take measures for their safety and security at all times, including good situational awareness, avoiding crowds, and keeping a low profile.