KARACHI: Since the activists of politico-religious Party MWM refused to pay heed to the appeals of the authority to end sit-ins that had caused embouteillages all over the Metropolis for eight days, the city Police initiated crackdown on Tuesday (31st Dec, 2024) in order to clear the main arteries.
At Malir No. 15, unknown gunmen shot and injured cops during skirmishes between workers of Politico-Religious Party MWM and the Police that have turned the area into a battle ground. Moreover, the authorities have turned the electricity off, due to which the area is submerged into darkness. The CM Sindh, reacting to the clashes with Police, held that damaging public and government properties under the guise of protests would not be tolerated.
At Numaish Chowrangi (M. A. Jinnah Road), Police fired tear gas shells, dismantled shamianas erected as central camp to stage sit-ins, baton-charged, nabbed protesters and transported may of them to the Police Stations. Those participating in the eight-day-long dharna clashed with the law enforcers, hurled rocks injuring many policemen, torched six of their motorcycles parked at the check post, that too was burnt.
MWM continued manifesting against killing of Shias in Parachinar, despite Govt warnings that the dharnas all over the commercial hub of Pakistan were harming country’s economy and disrupting the life of citoyens as they could not commute. Police action has also been carried out at other sites of sit-ins.
Police on Monday (30th Dec 2024) had been ordered after a week of blockage to clear the roads blocked by religio-political party MWM activists protesting killings of Shias at Parachinar and demanding reopening of road there closed for 90 the last days.
It may be recalled that the Top Cop of the Port City AIGP Javed Alam Odho, speaking to journalists at a Presser held on Monday (30th Dec 2024) at Garden Police HQs here, said that authorities had instructed to clear the roads of the ongoing week-long dharnas: “It is our endeavour to clear all thoroughfares by tonight. We will get the roads cleared by Maghrib time.”
Later, Javed Odho took a grand U-turn, when the participants of the sit-in refused to budge. Top Cop said that he was misinterpreted, what he meant by clearing the roads did not mean to stop MWM activists’ sit-in. He said it meant to request the protesters to manifest sans disrupting the main traffic. The week-long blockades had been causing severe problems for karachiites. Till Monday (30th Dec, 2024) evening MWM activists were still staging sit-ins causing embouteillages at:
1) MA Jinnah Road near Numaish Chowrangi,
2) Kamran Chowrangi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar,
3) Jauhar Mor, Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block-19-20,
4) Safoora Chowrangi,
5) Abul Hasan Ispahani Road,
6) Five Star Chowrangi,
7) University Road near Metro,
8) Shamsuddin Azeemi Road, Surjani Town,
9) Sharah-e-Pakistan, Ancholi,
10) Nawab Siddiqi Ali Khan Road, Nazimabad-1,
11) Power House Chowrangi, Nagan,
12) Sharea Pakistan at Ayesha Manzil.
Tribal district Parachinar (in Kurram) that harbours six hundred thousand citoyens, is located near Afghan border. Although due to the synergism of security forces and the tribal elders, magnitude of the bloody skirmishes between Shiaa and Non-Shia tribes shrunk in major part of Kurram, the fighting had claimed eight more lives despite the imposition of ceasefire, as a result the death toll by 1st of December, 2024 climbed to 133.
Government quarters have augmented their efforts to contain the hostility between the warring Shia and non-Shia tribes (belonging to Bagan, Talo Kunj, Badshah Kot, Irfani Kilay Jalamy and Chadrewal areas), it seems impossible to stop those whose relatives have been gunned down in the name of religion or possession of land. It may be recalled that a KP government delegation met the warring
Shia tribesmen as well as Sunni warlords and successfully persuaded the two sides on 24th November for a week-long ceasefire. According to KP chief minister’s adviser on information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, a ceasefire was agreed for seven days between the tribes, both of which also decided to return each other’s dead bodies and prisoners.
In what obviously was a sectarian clash, ten unidentified militants fired from both sides of the road at Shia passengers travelling from Parachinar to Peshawar in a convoy consisting 200 vans here on 21st Nov killing 43 Shia men, women, children (as well as cops escorting them) and injuring thirty.
Newspakistan.tv
