Karachi | Pakistan

Civil society members gathered at Karachi’s Teen Talwar monument on Wednesday to protest the detention of activists on board the Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen and Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, urging people “not to rest until the entire world stands in support of Palestine.” Earlier this week, Israeli forces detained the members of the aid ship, operating under the Freedom Flotilla Foundation, going to Gaza to break Israel’s siege. The activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, were carrying baby powder and aid for the besieged enclave. Israel has ramped up its offensive in Gaza, after it ended a ceasefire in March. So far, 55,014 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes. Chanting “Free Palestine” echoing through the city’s intersection, civil society members gathered to decry the Palestinian suffering in the face of Israeli occupation. The crowd sang, rejecting Israel’s actions: “Aisay dastoor ko mai nahi maanta” (I do not accept this system). Speaking to Dawn.co...

Reckless and negligent driving claimed the lives of five people on Wednesday in separate road accidents across Karachi, according to police and rescue officials. The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. Paposh Nagar Station House Officer (SHO) Shaukat Awan said that two boys were killed after a water tanker hit them near Abdullah College. “The victims were riding a motorcycle and were on their way towards Banaras Chowk when the tanker descending from the North Nazimabad bridge hit them,” Awan said. The accident resulted in the death of a 20-year-old and an 18-year-old, he said, adding that the bodies were taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities. He added that the incident enraged passersby, who caught the driver and beat him. “They attempted to torch the heavy vehicle, but police prevented them,” he said, adding tha...

The provincial government on Tuesday said it has decided to implement strict rules to improve traffic flow and prohibit parking on Karachi’s I.I. Chundrigarh Road — often known as the city’s “Wall Street” — to tighten traffic regulation enforcement and improve road safety. Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah issued the instructions after receiving a briefing on traffic management in the metropolis, a statement issued by his spokesperson, Abdur Rasheed Channa, said. According to the statement, parking will be prohibited on I.I. Chundrigar Road, beginning from Shaheen Complex to the Merewether Tower. CM Shah also directed the authorities concerned to ban parking for all types of vehicles from Muhammad Bin Qasim Road to Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road up to the S.M. Law College. I.I. Chundrigar Road, a major road in the city’s central business district, is often referred to as Karachi’s “Wall Street”. The road is a significant financial hub, serving as the location for the Pakistan Stock Exchange, major banks, and other ...

Posts on social media platforms X and Facebook since Wednesday were sharing an alleged threat alert from the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) of a possible terror attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. However, the threat alert is fake. On Wednesday, a post on X by a user claimed that Nacta had issued a threat alert on the same date regarding a possible terrorist attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. The caption of the post said: “Intelligence warns of a potential terrorist attack in Karachi during Eidul Azha. Law enforcement on high alert. Citizens urged to stay vigilant and report anything suspicious.” The same notification was circulated by other users as well as can be seen here, here, here and here. It was also widely shared on Facebook, as seen here and here, and circulated in various WhatsApp groups. A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim given its close proximity to the upcoming holiday and its potential to cause undue worry and panic in the public. Analysing the do...

KARACHI: Karachi’s administration has imposed an eight-day ban on visiting coastal areas under Section 144 due to high tides and rough sea conditions, ARY News reported. According to the announcement, the restriction is effective from June 6 to June 13, 2025, and is applied to KANNUP Beach, Sunerah Beach, Mubarak Village, Turtle Beach, and Dua […]

A Karachi resident who was assaulted in the Defence Housing Authority earlier this week says he has forgiven the suspect and does not want to take the case to court, even as a judge rejected the suspect’s bail in a separate hearing. On Monday, Karachi police arrested a main suspect along with two of his employees over charges of beating a citizen named Dheeraj. The suspect, identified as Salman Farooqi, was arrested from DHA and his vehicle was impounded. Farooqi, who was travelling in a luxury car, allegedly assaulted a motorcyclist accompanied by a woman on the Khayaban-i-Ittehad Road following a minor accident. A judicial magistrate on Tuesday remanded Farooqi and his guard, Owais Hashmi in police custody in the case. They were produced in court today by the police following the completion of their two-day remand. Today, Dheeraj appeared in court and identified the suspect. “I was not aware that the court had summoned me,” he said. “The lawyer told me today, so I appeared.” The judicial magistrate asked Dh...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated the federal government’s commitment to improving transport infrastructure and essential services in Karachi, highlighting the Green Line project as a top priority.

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that providing top-notch transport facilities to the people of Karachi through the Green Line project was among the top priorities of the federal government.

A tanker driver attempted to kidnap a traffic police officer in Karachi’s Manghopir, resulting in a clash which injured three cops, police said in a statement on Wednesday. According to District West Police spokesperson Nabeel Ahmed Rajput, “A tanker driver attempted to kidnap a traffic official near the Malik Chandio Chowk area of ​​Manghopir Police Station. “Instead of stopping at the checkpoint, the tanker driver tried to kidnap the traffic policeman,” he said, adding that the noise prompted a nearby police mobile to chase the tanker to stop it. The statement also said, “An angry group of people, accompanying the driver, launched an attack, injuring three police officers by assaulting them with sticks and stones.” The injured have been shifted to the hospital for immediate medical attention, the spokesperson said. He added that the police were present at the scene and the situation was under control. The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including d...

The meteorological chief has said tremors will continue to be felt in Karachi for the next two to three days and the situation will improve as the intensity of the quakes will reduce, adding that residents of the city should not panic. Parts of Karachi experienced three more tremors on Tuesday morning, as the city has been shaken by 19 mild earthquakes over the past three days, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) officials said. The tremors, all classified as low to moderate in intensity, ranged from 2.1 magnitude to 3.6 on the Richter scale. The strongest tremor, measuring 3.6, was recorded on Sunday, while the weakest was of 2.1 magnitude. PMD Director General Mahr Sahibzad Khan, while speaking during Dawn News TV programme ‘Doosra Rukh’, said Karachi will face low-intensity quakes for the next couple of days. The Met chief claimed earthquakes are occurring in Karachi due to lack of ground water and illegal pumping by the so-called ‘tanker mafia’. “Karachi has small fault lines in areas of Korangi and ...

KARACHI - More than 100 prisoners escaped from a prison and at least one was killed in a shoot put late Monday night in Karachi after being temporarily moved out of their cells due to mild earthquakes, officials said Tuesday.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said low-intensity tremors helped prevent major earthquakes as he attempted to allay panic caused by the recent seismic activity that continued for the third day in Karachi. The metropolis continued to witness faint tremors today, taking the tally since Sunday to 20, according to data provided by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). Experts have previously pointed out that such minor seismic activities “preempt” high-intensity earthquakes by constantly releasing accumulated energy within the tectonic plates. “I have also studied engineering […] these (low-scale tremors) are a good thing. The earth is releasing its energy,” CM Shah said, responding to reporters’ queries about yesterday’s jail break incident in Karachi. He explained that if the earth released its seismic energy altogether, it could result in a major earthquake. “But if it releases in bits, then it is better — nothing is actually better — but saves us from a big tragedy,” Murad added. The m...

Over two hundred inmates managed to escape from District Prison Malir in Karachi last night, the Sindh police chief confirmed on Tuesday, adding that 78 were recaptured while one was shot dead. Police officials earlier said the prisoners broke through the jail’s outer wall, which had been weakened due to the multiple low-intensity tremors felt in the area since Sunday. Police cordoned off the whole area and no one was allowed to enter or leave without ascertaining their identity. Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Ghulam Nabi Memon on Tuesday told Dawn.com that over 200 prisoners managed to escape from Malir prison late on Monday night when they were brought out from their barracks for counting due to an earthquake, out of them 78 were recaptured while teams are being constituted to re-arrest the remaining 138. Memon, who visited the jail earlier today, said that as per his assessment and briefings of jail and police officials, after the earthquake in the area, the jail administration brought an estimated...

Another low-intensity earthquake was felt by Karachi residents on Monday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The tremor was the third within 24 hours. The most recent quake measured 3.2 on the Richter scale with the city’s densely populated Quaidabad area as its epicentre. The area’s residents had also experienced a similar 3.6-magnitude tremor at 5:33pm yesterday. Both earthquakes originated at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres beneath the surface. View this post on Instagram A separate tremor originating near the city’s Gadap Town was recorded at 1:05am earlier today. It measured 3.2 on the Richter scale and had a depth of 12km. Ameer Hyder, the chief meteorologist at the Met Office in Karachi, told Dawn.com that the tremors were caused by an active fault line in Landhi. He noted that the quakes’ intensity was not high and was “gradually declining”. While stating that no formal prediction could be made yet, Hyder expected the tremors to end within a week. This screengrab shows a “norm...

Karachi experienced another mild earthquake on Monday morning—its fourth in less than 24 hours—causing brief panic among residents in several areas of the city.

Tremors were felt across several parts of Karachi on Sunday evening, causing brief panic among residents.

KARACHI: A tragic incident occurred in Karachi’s Orangi Town where a speeding passenger bus crushed a two-year-old girl, ARY News reported. The deceased toddler girl was identified as Iman who died on the spot. According to the police, the incident was reported from Orangi Town No. 10 and the bus driver and conductor managed to […]

Three people lost their lives in separate road accidents in Karachi on Saturday, according to police officials. The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. A motorbike rider was killed in the Defence Housing Authority when a vehicle hit him early Saturday morning, Deputy Inspector General South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.com. He said, “The Bykea [hail-riding service] rider was passing through Khayaban-i-Nishat crossing when the an sport utility vehicle hit him. He sustained critical injuries and was transported to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where he succumbed to his injuries.” The police have impounded the vehicle and arrested the driver, he added. Darakshan Station House Officer (SHO) Shahid Taj said that the victim’s heirs and the suspect had reached an out-of-court settlement and they told the police that they did not...

KARACHI: Karachi Police arrested three suspects, part of a shocking criminal incident, who threw an eight-month-old missing baby into a sewer, having stolen her gold earrings, in Karachi’s Ibrahim Hyderi area, ARY News reported. Police identified the suspects as Allah Dino, Kamran and Shaukat. They confessed to removing the baby’s gold earrings and abandoning her […]

Four armed robbers hijacked a Qingqi rickshaw carrying three sacrificial sheep at gunpoint in Karachi’s Ayesha Manzil area, police said on Friday. According to a first information report (FIR), the complainant Mohammed Rashid Saleem said that he had purchased three sheep and was carrying them in his Qingqi rickshaw on Thursday when the incident occurred. “Four suspects riding on two motorcycles snatched the rickshaw along with the animals at gunpoint and fled,” the FIR read, adding that the suspects also snatched cash and a cell phone from the victim. According to a statement from the Karachi Police spokesperson, the Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Javed Alam Odho took notice of the incident and ordered action against the Azizabad station house officer for negligence, issuing orders to suspend his service for one year. The AIG ordered that the suspects involved in the incident must be arrested within three days, with the recovery of the animals and rickshaw, otherwise, strict legal action will be...