Karachi roads to be cleared before Maghrib, says city police chief on ongoing protests

Karachi Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Javed Alam Odho said on Monday that the city’s roads would be cleared of protest sit-ins before Maghrib prayers, saying that citizens had “suffered enough” for the last three days.

The sit-ins, which have been ongoing for the past week, blocked major roads to protest the Parachinar killings, demanding measures including reopening a road in Parachinar, closed for 90 days, to ensure access to essential food and medicines, according to traffic police and organisers.

Activists and leaders of the mainstream religiopolitical party Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) said they would continue sit-ins across Karachi after talks with police and city officials failed a day ago. The continued blockade of roads triggered traffic jams, causing inconveniences to the commuters who used alternative roads/routes mostly plying vehicles on one track.

A statement from the Karachi Traffic police spokesperson said that sit-ins were still under way at 13 places/roads in the city today with main MA Jinnah Road near Numaish Chowrangi, Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Jauhar Mor, Gulistan-i-Jauhar Block-19-20, Safoora Chowrangi, Abul Hasan Ispahani Road, Five Star Chowrangi, University Road near Metro, Shamsuddin Azeemi Road in Surjani Town, Sharea Pakistan at Ancholi, Nawab Siddiqi Ali Khan Road in Nazimabad-1, Power House Chowerangi at Nagan and Sharea Pakistan at Ayesha Manzil closed for traffic with alternative diversions/arrangements made for plying of traffic.

Addressing the situation during a press conference at Garden police headquarters, the city police chief said authorities had given the police instructions to “clear” the roads of the ongoing sit-ins.

“It is our endeavour to clear all thoroughfares by tonight,” the metropolis police chief declared.

“We will get the roads cleared by Maghrib time,” the AIGP said, adding that the police would take action as per law if anyone put up resistance.

“We wanted to give relief to the citizens who have suffered a lot during the last three days,” he added.

Odho recounted that he and the Karachi commissioner held talks with the top leadership of the protest organisers on Sunday night, claiming that the latter had also “agreed” to end their protest.

He said after last night’s talks, the protest sit-in on main Sharea Faisal near Star Gate was brought to an end today.

Meanwhile, MWM spokesperson Syed Ali Ahmed Zaidi told Dawn.com that the central leadership had decided that the sit-ins would continue till the fulfillment of demands. However, he said the party had decided that only one track of a road would be blocked in protest while the other track would remain open for traffic.

He added that the sit-in on main Sharea Faisal near Natha Khan Bridge was brought to an end today, however, the sit-in on the National Highway at Malir-15 was ongoing as in other parts of the metropolis.

Separately, Sunni Ulema Council and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat leader Allama Mohammed Ahmed Ludhianvi warned that he would be compelled to hold sit-ins at 60 places/roads in Karachi if the current demonstrations were not brought to an end within 24 hours.

This announcement was made during a press conference in Islamabad.