The city was gripped with panic following rumours of the murder of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Monday. Some areas echoed with firings after the rumours that surfaced between 8:00pm to 9:00pm. Many people called newspapers and TV channels to inquire about the situation. Bilawal House spokesman Jamil Soomro and Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza dispelled the rumours and said that Mr Zardari was safe and busy with his meetings. Some areas of Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana and other major cities of interior Sindh witnessed a shutdown after the rumours. This was the third time after the general elections of 2008 that rumours of Zardari's murder had spread. The second time was in July.