Gunmen ruled Karachi streets, forced businesses to pull shutters

KARACHI: Gunmen sprung to action in their typical style Wednesday afternoon, terrorizing the citizens and traders of Karachi by firing shots in the air and forcing the markets and shopkeepers to pull their shutters and transporters to keep their vehicles off the road.

It appeared as if a button was pushed and all of a sudden the biggest city and economic hub of Pakistan went into the clutches of gun-totting criminals. The trigger-happy goons ruled almost every single street and road of the metropolis, spreading terror as no security personnel apparently made any move to restore the city's order.

Parents who were on their way to pick their kids from schools faced extreme hardships, as traffic police had blocked roads following the incidents of firing in almost every part of Karachi which led to severe traffic jams. Children and teachers remained stranded inside schools for hours as they had no other option but to wait till the situation improves outside.

Public transport vanished from the streets of the metropolis as the city’s transport association decided to suspend their service in view of the deteriorating law and order situation. The gunmen also forced the petrol pumps across the city to shut down.

Fear gripped the citizens, as they remained clueless as to what caused the Karachi's situation which was completely peaceful till afternoon to get so bad within moments.

Meanwhile, businesses were also forced to close down in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah, after similar incidents of firing coincided with those of Karachi.