Karachi’s Independence Day festivities took a tragic turn as celebratory gunfire resulted in one fatality and left 94 people injured, including 17 children, officials confirmed on Friday. The casualties included 10 women, 17 children, and 59 men, highlighting the widespread impact of the incidents across the city.
The fatality involved a woman who succumbed to injuries sustained during the same wave of aerial firing that affected multiple neighborhoods. The injured were promptly transported to major medical facilities, including Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Civil Hospital, and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for urgent treatment.
Hospital authorities provided a detailed account of the patients admitted overnight. Abbasi Shaheed Hospital treated 24 individuals, comprising one woman, four children, and 19 men. Jinnah Hospital admitted 35 patients, including four women, three children, and 28 men. Meanwhile, Civil Hospital’s trauma center managed 26 cases, with 10 children, four women, and 12 men among them.
Reports of gunfire emerged from various parts of Karachi, such as Lyari, Saddar, Korangi, Malir, Azizabad, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Gulbahar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Orangi Town, Jamshed Quarters, and Defence. Law enforcement agencies responded by arresting 30 suspects linked to aerial firing across eastern, western, and central districts of the city.
The arrests took place in areas including Hyderi Market, Bilal Colony, Liaquatabad, New Karachi, Taimuria, Azizabad, Joharabad, and Gulbahar. Additional detentions occurred within the jurisdictions of Khwaja Ajmer Nagri, Samanabad, Rizvia Society, and Sir Syed police stations. Various firearms were confiscated from the suspects during these operations.
In Gulshan-e-Iqbal, police apprehended a security guard involved in the firing and seized a weapon from him. Similarly, two other individuals were arrested in Orangi Town and Iqbal Market for their alleged participation in the incidents, the SSP West.
In a separate event at a hotel in Paposh Nagar’s Sarafa Bazaar, a woman lost her life due to an accidental discharge of a pistol. The firearm, left on a table with a round chambered, went off while being handled, striking the woman. She was rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital but later died from her injuries.
The accused, identified as Imran and reportedly the woman’s cousin, was arrested, and a 9mm pistol was recovered from him. This incident underscores the dangers posed by improper handling of firearms during celebrations.
Authorities have consistently warned the public about the risks of aerial firing, emphasizing that bullets fired into the air can return with lethal force, causing serious injuries or fatalities. Karachi has experienced recurring casualties from such practices during Independence Day events in recent years.
Notably, in 2025, similar incidents resulted in three deaths and at least 75 injuries. The previous year, 2024, saw about 95 people wounded due to celebratory gunfire, reflecting an ongoing public safety challenge during national festivities.
