DATE=6/24/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-234453 TITLE=PAK VIOLENCE (L) CQ BYLINE=SARAH HORNER DATELINE=ISLAMABAD CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: TEN PEOPLE -- INCLUDING A SENIOR POLICEWOMAN -- HAVE BEEN KILLED IN THE PAST 24-HOURS IN THE SOUTHERN PAKISTANI CITY OF KARACHI. AS SARAH HORNER REPORTS, THE DEATHS ARE PART OF ON-GOING POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN THE CITY WHICH HAS RESULTED IN MORE THAN 100 MURDERS IN THE PAST MONTH. TEXT: POLICE SAY GUNMEN WITH AUTOMATIC RIFLES SHOT AND KILLED A SENIOR POLICEWOMAN AS SHE LEFT HER HOME EARLY WEDNESDAY IN KARACHI . FARUKH SULTANA -- WHO WAS NOT IN UNIFORM WHEN SHE WAS KILLED -- WAS THE FORMER HEAD OF PAKISTAN'S FEMALE POLICE FORCE BEFORE BECOMING AN INSPECTOR IN THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHY SHE WAS MURDERED. POLICE ARE LINKING MS SULTANA'S DEATH TO THE ON-GOING VIOLENCE WHICH IS PLAGUING THE COUNTRY'S FINANCIAL CAPITAL. POLICE SAY SEVERAL POLITICAL ACTIVISTS HAVE BEEN KILLED DURING THE PAST 24 HOURS. V-O-A KARACHI STRINGER, GHULAM HASNAIN, SAYS MOST OF THOSE KILLED BELONGED TO THE M-Q-M POLITICAL MOVEMENT -- THE M-Q-M. THE M-Q-M IS SPLIT INTO FACTIONS, RESULTING SOMETIMES IN VIOLENT CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN RIVAL MEMBERS. THE MOVEMENT SPLIT INTO TWO GROUPS A FEW YEARS AGO AND IN RECENT WEEKS A THIRD FACTION HAS APPEARED. THE M-Q-M REPRESENTS INDIAN MUSLIMS WHO CAME TO PAKISTAN AFTER PARTITION IN 1947. MOST OF THE MUSLIMS SETTLED IN THE SOUTH OF THE COUNTRY. THE M-Q-M IS THE DOMINANT POLITICAL PARTY IN KARACHI. BUT, VIOLENCE IN KARACHI OFTEN AFFECTS THOSE NOT INVOLVED IN POLITICS. GHULAM HASNAIN SAYS ONE COUPLE KILLED WEDNESDAY HAD NO OBVIOUS POLITICAL AFFILIATION. THE WIFE WAS A RETIRED SCHOOLTEACHER AND THE HUSBAND A GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE, THE SOLE MOTIVE RELATIVES COULD OFFER FOR THE MURDER. KARACHI IS TENSE WITH MANY SHOPS AND MARKETS REMAINING CLOSED. THERE IS LESS TRAFFIC THAN USUAL AND POLICE SAY M-Q-M WORKERS HAVE TOLD BUSINESSES TO NOT OPEN. DURING THE PAST MONTH THERE HAVE BEEN 130 MURDERS IN KARACHI, ALMOST ALL OF THOSE KILLED WERE POLITICAL ACTIVISTS. ABOUT 100 PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED TUESDAY FOLLOWING THE MURDERS OF THREE POLICEMAN. (SIGNED) NEB/SLH/RAE 24-Jun-98 9:47 AM EDT (1347 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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