The political leadership of the thickly-populated Lyari, along with the provincial administration, have finally chalked out a formula to launch “operation clean-up” in Lyari to control the gang-wars that have reportedly hijacked the area for the past couple of years. More than 600 people have died in the armed clashes to date, officials told The News.

Pakiatan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Nabil Gabol, MPAs Dr Salim Hingoro and provincial minister Rafiq Engineer, have given their consent to the administration to launch the operation in the most affected areas to restore peace. Lyari representatives who attended the meeting with the Sindh Home Minster Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, IGP Sindh Dr Shoaib Suddle, and other high-level police officers, have asked the provincial government to take steps to restore peace in their constituency otherwise, lest the area residents hold them accountable and the party lose its stronghold.

The PPP MNA from Lyari, Nabil Gabol, told The News on Wednesday after a visit to his constituency, that he had proposed to the Sindh home minister and the IGP Sindh, Dr Shoaib Suddle, to cordon off the area and eliminate criminals involved in the gang-war.

MNA Gabol said that the people of the area were looking up to their elected representatives and they wished to restore peace. He said people loved the late ZA Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, as also Asif Ali Zardari but the previous regime deliberately handed the area over to criminals and created a gang-war situation.

During the visit to Lyari on Saturday, gunshots were constantly heard and Gabol said that the people of the area voted for the PPP just to stop the gang-war. The MNA claimed that the gang-war was going on only in 10 lines in Kalri and Baghdadi areas while the rest of the area was calm and quite because the situation was now being improved.

Officials said that the administration had decided to set up more than 25 pickets in the most affected areas, namely, Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road, Salater Road, West Shah Baig line, Ali Muhammad Muhallah, Tannery Road, Shah Bhitai, Gul Muhammad Line, Singo Line and Edo Line, to control the situation.

Points have been identified for the setting up of more than 25 pickets in the area. It was decided to cordon off the areas pointed out by the elected representatives and 20 policemen headed by ASI would be deployed at each picket. Two more Armored Personal Careers (APC) would be given to Lyari and 150 elite force personnel would also be provided in addition to the area police to strengthen the force and to eradicate gang wars, sources claimed.