Sukkur relatively calm after spate of violence

The Sukkur city remained calmer on Saturday, except for some incidents of firing and shelling on the Military Road, Qureshi Goth and Rohri, where the police resorted to teargas and aerial firing to disperse unruly mobs.

No newspapers reached Sukkur and its adjoining areas on Friday and Saturday, as vehicles transporting newspapers from Karachi to Sukkur and other cities and towns were burnt in Hyderabad.

On the other hand, telephones and internet were disrupted between Thursday-Friday night due to which telephonic connection between Karachi and other parts of Sindh was suspended.

Earlier, Sukkur and its adjoining areas remained engulfed in flames on Thursday night and Friday morning, when miscreants torched at least 10 trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables at new and old fruit and vegetable markets and also set ablaze a departmental store near the Clock Tower.

A flour grinding mill and a stall of edibles were also torched in the city, besides damage to industrial units situated in the Site area of Sukkur.

Shutters remained down throughout the day in Sukkur and its adjoining areas and not a single shop or hotel or cigarette cabin was seen open due to which shortage of edibles was experienced.

The offices of Taluka municipal council, four banks, some government buildings and hospitals and more than 150 cars and motorcycles were set ablaze in different localities of the city.

On Friday, enraged agitators had torched more than 15 cars and trucks parked in the Custom House, while many trailers, trucks and private cars were also torched on the National Highway.

Sixteen coaches of the Pakistan Express were set ablaze at Mehrabpur railway station and 12 coaches of Bhambhore Express, Shalimar Express and Awam Express were torched at Pano Akil railway station. A large number of passengers were stranded at different railway stations without water, food and tea in this chilly season. The worst sufferers are the infants who are without milk.

The passengers stranded at different railway stations are without food and water, as all efforts to provide them with food and water have failed, because miscreants have not allowed the supplies to reach them.

The railway authorities are reluctant to provide any relief to the stranded passengers and were also not providing any information to worried relatives of the passengers.

Due to torching of many trains, the Pakistan Railways have suspended the train service.

Mobs were patrolling different localities of cities and towns, burning tyres and causing damage to public and private properties without discrimination.