Rumours about the death of top MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement) leader Farooq Sattar in a bomb blast created widespread tension in the port city of Karachi, the capital of Sindh.

The rumours were swiftly dismissed by MQM leaders and Mayor Mustafa Kamal as baseless.

“The rumours are being spread to disrupt peace in the city. People should not heed such rumours,” said Kamal.
Despite the prompt action by the authorities, there were reports of protests from parts of Karachi, which is a stronghold of the MQM.

Fear also gripped the busy M A Jinnah Road in Karachi when unidentified gunmen opened fire in the area at noon. Witnesses said the gunmen, who were in a car, fired shots near the Jamia Cloth Market, prompting closure of most shops in the area. Security forces have launched a hunt for the gunmen. The tensions came just as Karachi was limping back to normalcy after four days of violence and heightened tension.A group of persons also opened fire in Hyderabad city in Sindh on Monday morning and forced shops to shut down. The incident occurred despite army and paramilitary personnel being deployed in the city, TV channels reported.Mayor Kamal said the Karachi administration would try to compensate people whose property was damaged in the protests.

According to reports, some 900 cars and motorcycles and 175 bank branches were burnt or damaged across Sindh, while nearly 40 people lost their lives. Educational institutions in Sindh and the rest of the country remained closed and attendance in offices and business establishments in the port city was thin.In most other cities across Pakistan, Monday was the first day of almost complete normalcy as markets reopened and businesses, government offices and banks began functioning after a gap of three days.

In Islamabad, the streets were busy with traffic as petrol stations resumed supplies of the much needed fuel and shops reopened for business.