karachi pakistani paramilitary troops today detained over 500 people for questioning in the wake of a surge in ethnic and political violence in the city that claimed nearly 30 lives as it carried out housetohouse search in densely populated areas of the city karachi which is home to millions of immigrants from other parts of pakistan and refugees and illegal aliens from afghanistan and bangladesh witnessed a fresh bout of target killings last week in which some 31 persons were killed as violence continued in the city four people were reported killed and three others were injured in firing incidents in different parts of the city in the past 24 hours officials said that the rangers had entered the faqir colony in orangi town early morning and conducted a door to door search operation which continued for five hours the suspects were detained and shifted to an unknown place for interrogation roads leading to and from orangi town were also shut down with the area police which is often accused of sheltering criminal elements also being kept in the dark about the operation some of the affected families told different television channels that the rangers had entered homes without female officers leading to disrespect of women and children due to the recent wave of violence the provincial home department has given rangers police powers to conduct search operations set up check points and detain and investigate suspects in the city authorities have also increased police and ranger presence in violenceprone areas after imposing a week long ban on pillion riding the law enforcement agencies rounded up some 225 people and presented them in judicial courts today for having violated the ban on pillion riding on monday people have been asked to carry their identity cards at all times to avoid inconvenience during operations by security forces the latest spell of violence since thursday has left nearly 30 dead including a reporter of the geo news channel and a former deputy mayor much of the violence has been blamed on rivalry between groups representing urduspeaking people and a growing number of pashtuns the urduspeakers traditionally back muttahida qaumi movement while pashtuns support awami national party both political parties are members of the pppled coalitions at the centre and in sindh interior minister malik has claimed that a third force is trying to engineer a split among the ppp mqm and anp he did not identify these elements