37 Hurt in Pakistan’s New Year Celebratory Gunfire

Two infants and four females were among 37 persons who received injuries in Pakistan’s aerial firing on New Year's night, said police, hospital, and rescue services officials on Sunday.

“At least 37 persons, including two infants and four females, were brought to the three main public hospitals with gunshot wounds,” according to Sindh Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed, reports Dawn.

All the injured persons were stable as they had received minor injuries, she said.

The police surgeon said that a total of 19 persons were brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. All were males between the age of 12 to 61. “They were stable and discharged after the first medical aid,” said Dr Summaiya.

She said that a total of eight persons were brought to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. One of them was a woman. The injured were aged between one and a half years to 28 years.

Similarly, a total of 10 injured persons were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital from different areas, including three females. The wounded were aged between one and a half years to 45 years.

A city police spokesperson in a statement said that an awareness campaign had been launched urging citizens to avoid aerial firing on New Year's night. Despite that, the law was violated in different areas where people resorted to firing, resulting in bullet injuries to 34 persons, said the spokesperson.

Giving a break-up of all the districts, the spokesperson said that 10 persons were shot and wounded in district East, 10 in Central, four in City, five in South, three in Korangi, one in West, and one in Malir district.

The police took immediate action and arrested a total of 34 suspects, including two policemen, allegedly involved in the aerial firing, and cases under attempted murder and other charges were lodged against them at different police stations.