KARACHI: Activists of different religious groups blocked almost all major roads of the city on Monday to protest against the arrest of All-Pakistan Shia Action Committee (APSAC) Chief Allama Mirza Yousaf Hussain and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) leader Taj Hanafi.
The two were detained following a resurgence of sectarian killings that claimed 13 lives in the city within a week’s time.
The activists of different Shia groups began protesting early Monday morning at Malir 15 and on Shahrah-e-Pakistan against targeted killings and arrest of their leaders, demanding their immediate release.
The protesters blocked the National Highway, due to which the movement of heavy traffic leaving for upcountry came to a standstill. The entire city witnessed a massive traffic jam due to the blockage of this main artery, adding to the miseries of the masses.
The protesters were carrying placards inscribed with slogans against the arrest and killing of Shia religious leaders.
They chanted slogans, accusing the Sindh government of protecting leaders of banned outfits.
Later, when the protesters moved towards the railway track and tried to block the railway traffic, the police used tear gas and resorted to aerial firing to disperse them. The protesters reacted by pelting the police with stones. According to some television channels, protesters in some areas also fired shots in the air. At least five persons, including two women, were injured during a protest, while the Saudabad police arrested eight people attacking law enforcers.
After an initial attempt by police to disperse the crowd, the protesters regrouped at the same location. The civil administration showed its incompetence by sending police officials to talk to the protesters instead of sending some minister for negotiations.
Three rounds of negotiations took place between the police and the protesters, but in vain, as the angry protesters insisted that the law enforcers released all those arrested. However, the police said they could only be released after legal proceedings.
ASWJ leader Taj Hanafi was arrested on Sunday from the party’s headquarters, while former Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) leader and top Shia cleric Mirza Yousaf Hussain was also detained hours later. On Saturday, former PPP senator Faisal Raza Abidi was arrested for his alleged involvement in cases of sectarian killings in Karachi.
MWM leader Allama Amin Shaheedi told journalists that the protesters would not return to their houses until the arrested leaders were released and action taken against terrorists. The protests continued until the filing of this report.
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