Sindh police on Saturday fired tear gas and baton-charged the workers of different political parties holding protests in different parts of Karachi against alleged rigging in the February 8 polls.
Several political parties — including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Jamate-e-Islami (JI), and others — staged protest demonstrations in different parts of the city, while the authorities have also blocked roads leading to the Sindh Assembly.
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The authorities’ move to place blockades on different roads including the city’s main artery Shahrae Faisal in a bid to stop protesters from reaching the Sindh Assembly disrupted traffic and caused misery for the commuters.
Following the announcement of protest by different political parties, the Sindh government on Friday imposed Section 144 in the south zone of the city to prevent any harm to security and order.
“… the Government of Sindh, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 144 (6) Cr.PC, hereby imposes a ban on public assembly, gatherings, protests, processions, and demonstrations in South Zone Karachi Division for a period of 30 days with immediate effect,” stated the provincial government’s notification issued late Friday.
Long queues of vehicles were formed on Shahrae Faisal as police blocked the main artery from three spots — Baloch Colony, Nursery, and FTC — in a bid to stop protesters from gathering outside the Sindh Assembly.
The clashes also took place between the law enforcers and the activists of the political parties as police fired tear gas on demonstrators in a bid to disperse them.
Police baton-charged and detained at least 30 protesters from near the Arts Council for staging a demonstration and raising slogans in the Red Zone area amid the imposition of Section-144.
The law enforcers also fired tear gas and clashed with protesters after they attempted to move toward the Sindh Assembly near the Baloch Colony area.
Moreover, the protest was also staged on the city’s main Toll Plaza which led to the suspension of traffic on Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway.
The flight schedule was also affected as passengers were facing difficulty in reaching the airport due to ongoing protests at Shahra-e-Faisal.
In a statement, DIG South Asad Raza said the heavy contingent of police was deployed on Shahrae Faisal and both tracks near the Nursery, Metropole, and FTC have been closed.
“A heavy contingent of police is also deployed around the Sindh Assembly,” the DIG South added.
Moreover, the road coming from Burns Road towards Sindh Assembly had also been blocked by placing containers, the senior police official said adding that barriers were placed on the road leading from Press Club to Sindh Assembly.
