As the clock struck 12 on the night between August 13 and 14, Karachi erupted into Independence Day celebrations. However, some people resorted to aerial gunfire and left one person dead and another 57 wounded, according to different media reports.
A ban on aerial gunfire could not deter some people from putting others’ lives in jeopardy.
The dead and the wounded were moved to Jinnah Post Graduate Hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. They included people of all ages from teenagers to the elderly.
Nek Mohamad, 50, was killed near Teen Talwar Underpass by celebratory gunfire.
“We received 57 persons with bullet injuries brought at three major government hospitals in the metropolis on late Saturday night,” said police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, adding that several of the injured were in critical condition. Breaking down the count, she said that 15 injured people, including three females aged between 15 to 50 years, were brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, adding that some of them were critical and would require long-term treatment.
Meanwhile, Dr Summaiya said 24 cases of aerial firing were reported at the medico-legal section of Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre. Three of the injured were females. She said the injured were aged between eight to 60 years, including three females. She added that five of them suffered bullet wounds on their heads while three others received injuries on their abdomen.
Similarly, she said 18 people injured from aerial firing were reported at the medico-legal section of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. The injured were aged between 10 to 50 years with six of them being females. Meanwhile, an Edhi Foundation spokesperson said in a statement that their ambulances had shifted 34 injured from different areas of the city to hospitals.
Out of them, four people had suffered bullet wounds in Orangi Town, two in Liaquatabad, three in Lyari, four in Shah Faisal Colony, and one each in DHA Phase 2, Dhoraji Colony, Urdu Bazaar, Karimabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and other areas. A spokesperson of the Chhipa Welfare Association also said that their ambulances had shifted 23 injured from various localities to hospitals.
