KARACHI, JAN 1: Residents of Karachi continued to face traffic woes for a seventh day as protests against the recent killings in Parachinar, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram District, continued on Wednesday.
In Kurram, a Grand Jirga has been working towards a peace accord, with the representatives from Lower Kurram yet to sign the deal. Clashes stemming from decades-old land disputes have claimed at least 130 lives since last month, with food and medicine shortages reported due to weeks-long road blockades.
Residents in Upper Kurram’s Parachinar have also been staging a sit-in since December 20, which a Dawn.com correspondent confirmed was continuing today, against the law and order situation there as well as road closures.
The religiopolitical Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) had given a country-wide call of protests to express solidarity with the people of Parachinar, following which sit-ins in Karachi began on December 24, and expanded further last Thursday, leading to traffic disruptions.
Pitched battles between police and groups of youth broke out at multiple spots in Karachi yesterday, with six cops among at least 11 people injured, as law enforcers fired tear gas to remove protesters staging sit-ins against the blockade and killings in Parachinar.
As the banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) also started counter-protest sit-ins at 14 places, roads remained closed for traffic at 18 locations across the city last night, with the MWM protests continuing at four points.
Traffic disruptions persisted today as well after the MWM demonstrations entered their ninth day.
According to a statement by the Karachi Traffic Police issued at 11am, “The MWM sit-ins continued to block Abul Hasan Ispahani Road near Abbas Town, Kamran Chowrangi, Numaish, University Road going towards Samama Shopping Centre, and Water Pump Chowrangi at Ancholi.”
Abul Hasan Ispahani Road, starting from Paradise Bakery to Superhighway was closed, while the opposite road — leading from the Superhighway towards Maskan Chowrangi — was open for two-way traffic.
A similar two-way situation was witnessed at Ancholi, as well as Numaish, where the road heading to Gurumandir was blocked, the traffic police said. At University Road, smaller vehicles were being diverted to the service lane while heavier traffic was rerouted through residential streets.
On the other hand, protests by the ASWJ continued at Paracha Chowk near Gulbai and Shahrah-i-Orangi, the traffic police said.
However, according to ASWJ spokesperson Umar Muavia, the group was staging demonstrations at eight locations — Naagin Chowrangi, Orangi Town, Sher Shah Chowk, Jilani Centre near Tower, Fresco Chowk, Qayyumabad, Korangi No. 5, and Quaidabad.
In a statement, the outlawed group had demanded a military operation in Parachinar and provision of compensation to the heirs of the victims and damages to the property there.
9 cops, 7 protesters injured during police action
Police action yesterday resulted in injuries to nine cops and seven protesters, according to lists issued by the Sindh police, available with Dawn.com.
At Numaish Chowrangi, six policemen — including a Counter-Terrorism Department superintendent — were injured with stones while one was wounded by “firing”, a list stated.
Two policemen were injured by “firing” during protests at Malir 15, National Highway, the list said.
A list of policemen injured during police action in Karachi on Dec 31, 2024. — Sindh police
Another list, issued by the Sindh IG Operations Room, stated that seven protesters were “injured by firing” at Malir 15 and were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed to Dawn.com that four men — named among the protesters’ list issued by the police — suffered gunshot injuries.
According to Dr Syed, Ali Raza had a “gunshot injury to [his] head” and was in critical condition. Qasim Zafar sustained a bullet wound on his left leg, Mohsin Anwar on his right leg, and an unidentified man had a gunshot wound on his abdomen, the doctor added.
A list of protesters injured during police action in Karachi on Dec 31, 2024. — Sindh police
In a statement, Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon vowed that concrete action would be taken against those who “attacked the police and took the law into their hands during the protests”.
Stating that the police had taken action to establish the writ of law, IGP Memon said that the “unfortunate incidents during establishing law and order” would be investigated on merit.
He further noted that police property was damaged while cops were injured.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar visited the injured policemen who were receiving treatment at the Aga Khan University Hospital.
He directed that the wounded cops be provided with the best possible medical facilities and that a focal person of the police remain in contact with their families.
The injured included Zagham Abbas from Model Colony Police Station, Ayaz Khan from Shaheen Force, and Nawaz Ali from the Special Security Unit, the Sindh information department said.
Initially, the police had not faced resistance when they dismantled tents and dispersed protesters at almost six points but later at night, a clash between cops and agitators in Malir 15 resulted in bullet injuries to at least four protesters and two policemen.
Regarding the police action at Numaish, IGP Memon had said the protesters had also torched some police motorcycles while “some arrests” had been made.
Meanwhile, the MWM condemned the police action, claiming that over two dozen of its workers were picked up by law enforcers.
MWM spokesperson Syed Ali Ahmer Naqvi told Dawn that in the morning, the police fired tear gas shells and baton-charged protesters at 10 places, including Abbas Town, and “forcibly ended the sit-ins”.
The MWM spokesperson in a statement claimed that the law enforcers manhandled the elderly scholar, Allama Syed Hasan Zafar Naqvi, at Numaish.
The party has vowed to continue the protest.
Additional input from Javid Hussain
