At midnight, the city reverberated with the crackle of gunfire as hundreds of people resorted to aerial firing to celebrate Independence Day...
At midnight, the city reverberated with the crackle of gunfire as hundreds of people resorted to aerial firing to celebrate Independence Day. Unrestrained aerial firing and fireworks disrupted the city's peace, turning festivity into tragedy. Three people, including an eight-year-old girl and a 70-year-old man, lost their lives, while 81 others sustained injuries. According to police, 51 men, 23 women, six boys, and one girl were among the injured. Police arrested 39 suspects across various areas of the city and recovered a variety of firearms used in the illegal celebratory firing. In a particularly heart-wrenching incident, eight-year-old Naaha was shot and killed by stray gunfire in Azizabad Block Eight. She lost her life while standing on her balcony with a Pakistani flag pinned to her chest. Read More: Pakistan celebrates Independence Day in spirit According to a family friend, Naaha sat down in fear as gunshots rang out but was fatally struck in the back of the head. Her family rushed her to a nearby hospital, where staff reportedly declined to register the case. She was later taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors confirmed her death. Moreover, 35-year-old Stephen, a resident of the Christian settlement near Zaman Town Police Station, was killed in a similar incident in Korangi. His body was shifted to Jinnah Hospital. Seventy-year-old Jumma was also killed by aerial firing in Lyari’s Kalri neighbourhood near Agra Taj Colony. His body was taken to Civil Hospital. Injured individuals were reported from nearly every part of the city — North Nazimabad, Malir, Korangi, Orangi Town, Liaquatabad, Surjani, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Lyari, and beyond. Victims ranged in age from seven to over 50, with injuries varying in severity. These include Umar, 11, injured in North Nazimabad; Ramzan, 48, wounded in Gulshan-e-Baloch; Isa, eight, shot in PIB Colony; Florence, 16, injured in FC Area; and Sidra, wounded in Bilal Colony. Also Read: President confers awards on military, political leadership for Marka-e-Haq's success Hospitals including Abbasi Shaheed, Jinnah, and Civil received a continuous stream of victims throughout the night. The city police confirmed that 57 suspects were apprehended for involvement in aerial firing. Weapons of varying calibres were confiscated during citywide raids. Authorities have pledged stern action against those responsible and appealed to the public to refrain from dangerous celebratory gunfire in the future. Family members and local residents expressed anger and grief, criticising provincial authorities for failing to curb aerial firing despite repeated incidents in previous years. “Every year we fear this night more than we celebrate it,” said a resident of Liaquatabad. “This is not independence but chaos.”
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