KARACHI: Unidentified armed men opened fire on religious leader Mufti Ismail of Jamia Arabia Ahsanul Uloom on Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, Karachi, Express News reported on Monday. The leader died on the spot.
Protests erupted in parts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town after the killing. Students of the madrassah came out on roads in protest, while unidentified men also attacked public property.
Police arrested around 10 people involved in vandalism.
Situation returned to normalcy after funeral prayer of the dead religious leader was offered.
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END OF LIVE UPDATES
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03:11 pm
The body of the religious leader will be taken to his hometown Shikarpur for burial.
Madrassah students are still present in the area, however, they are nonviolent.
Traffic flow has been restored in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town.
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02:46 pm
Funeral prayer of the religious leader has been offered.
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02:16 pm
A huge number of madrassah students are gathered at Jamia Arabia Ahsanul Uloom to attend the funeral prayer of the religious leader.
Exams scheduled to be held today at University of Karachi and Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology have been cancelled. New dates are yet to be announced.
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01:12 pm
A blast was heard in the Federal B Area, Karachi, Express News reported.
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01:10 pm
Express News correspondent Rehan Khan reported that situation has been brought under control in most of the affected areas.
However, protesters are still present in the area around Gulshan Chowrangi.
Rashid Minhas Road is still blocked and commuters are advised by traffic police to take alternate routes.
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12:35pm
Funeral prayer for the deceased religious leader will be offered after Zuhr prayer.
Police have arrested around 12 people involved in vandalism.
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12:15pm
The body of the religious leader has been brought inside the madrassah for his final rites.
Rangers have arrested ten people involved in looting activities.
Residents of the area are stranded inside their houses as violence gripped the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town.
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11:40am
Protesters have damaged more than a dozen cars.
Rashid Minhas Road, Abul Hassan Isphani Road and Main University Road are blocked and traffic is badly affected.
Protesters want government to assure that killers of the dead religious leader will be arrested soon.
Express News reports six people have been killed in different parts of the city in firing incidents.
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11:30am
Law enforcement officers are struggling to bring the situation under control.
Protesters have also attacked a wine shop.
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11:25am
Areas in Gulshan-e-Iqbal affected by the protests include those around Gulshan Chowrangi, NIPA, Maskan Chowrangi, Moti Mehal and Disco Bakery.
All business activities have come to a halt in the area because of the protest.
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11:00am
Five cars and several tyres were set on fire. Public property was also destroyed, while a CNG station was attacked.
The incident took place near a Rangers check post.
Police and Rangers reached the area after the killing, started an operation and arrested at least seven protesters.
Rashid Minhas Road is completely blocked because of the protest.
COMMENTS (43)
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Is it the best that Pakistan has taught its populace?
@aaj: By God I asked them. In our country infatuation is corruption, Right to education, Right to information, FDI etc. These days the infatuation about FDI and its effect and Whether we should have reservations in promotion for dalits is at the highest point. Please be informed.
@Karachities: ...Why drag taliban into everything.....
Because they are into everything that is terrorism in this country for many years now.
Close all Saudi funded Madrassahs, they only create problems. And while u r at it close the Iranian funded ones too. Half the terrorist problem solved.
WE are responsible of all this when the first shopkeeper was asked extortion money other kept their distance as it was somebody else not them when first common man was targetted no one did anything as he was not theirs now we have fed this monster and he is not willing to go back in the bottle but all is not lost come togather it is time to say ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE
@Karachities:
I live in the same locality where this seminary located. I witnessed the vandalism of Taliban ... they looted a liquor shop, damaged a CNG filling station, torched 7 vehicles, & damaged an ambulance booth of KKF and torched an KKF ambulance parked there !
@Buttler: trust me my friend....there are innumerable mentally challenged intellectuals who have no clue about right & wrong. just scroll through this page and you'll see people praising this govt. go through few op-eds and you'll come across some most irritating people, who think that BBZ is their last hope. PPP has contributed towards the country, BISP is beneficial for poor.... and God knows what!.
The Psychologist & Psychiatrist who had been working with the arrested teen age suicide bombers in Swat , has said very pertinent words… As we have heard “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away”… similarly after going through the life history of these teen agers … they coined a new saying… “ A meal a day keeps the terrorist away”.
So it is not about religion or Jihad or sect… it comes down to “Economics”…..
@VINOD: Infatuated with religion isnt bad. Its when you take it to the extreme level is when the trouble starts.
@Reasoner: Why drag taliban into everything. This is the actual extremist mindset.
@VINOD: By God... you should ask your leaders in India about the infatuation in India!!! No need to worry about how we breath in this atmosphere in Pakistan... By God... seriously...
@ Reasonar & Hellfire
I live in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, near the place where this maderessah is located. After the death of the certain person, students came out on streets and blocked the roads in protest. They DIDN'T burn any car. Neither they stormed the liqour store. The liqour store was attacked by some 'charsees' and the loitering that happened was done by oppurtunists who took advantage of the situation.
But yes, students were so furious that in order to stop the traffic, they were hurling stones at them and that wasn't good indeed!
Blaming and accusing the students for everything is not gonna help. What media does at these situations is really shameful and what u ppl do by airing the flames isn't good either.
Thank GOD I was an eyewitness of that so i really know what REALLY happened out there.
@Zalim singh: I'm glad you asked. Because your government has absolutely no interest in providing the means to self sufficiency, aka an education, therefore, religious nutjobs (and many good intentioned people) are forced to do the governments job and provide madrassas as a replacement for modern education. Problems arise when people who have been educated via charity from the many different benefactors are asked to back their benefactors up in their various endeavors politically and non politically.
@Reasoner: are you belong to CID? how do you claim that?
Killers are same no matter who is being killed. They either killing shias or any other who either disagrees with them even slightly or due to internal splits within Taliban/jhangvi/SSP
Sunni muslims need to realize that they must also speak out against the fanatics like taliban and their like minded groups. They won't just stop at killing the Shias in the country. They will kill army/police and whoever they can to achieve their goal. They are not friends of anyone. One thing is for sure that our government can't stop the bloodshed in pakistan specially in Karachi. Bring army as things are getting out of hand.
A country totally infatuated with religion. By God how people breath in this atmosphere?
Wonder why killing of Ulma and Madarsa Students not included in Sectarian killing by our media?????
oh vandalizing and looting part of the latest religious curricula on madarsas now.. its a tragedy but i would expect a better response from people claiming superior religious values
This is a deliberate atempt to fire up sectarian killings, just days back 7 students of the same madrassa were killed. I am all against violent protests but the people calling to shut all madrassas are the real criminals as they have done nothing for the students of these madrassas but dance on their killings. Why can't we demand justice for the dead? Why can't the civil society demand for the arrest of the killers? or is it that everyone knows that the killers were sent by a self proclaimed secular political party.
Shut all these Madrassas!!
why madrassas are required in 21st century?
I am sorry to say, but the madrassa students are doing exactly what they teach them to do everyday: violence, justified in the name of religion. So what do you expect, rational civilized behavior? Unfortunately the only way to stop all this is to clamp down with an iron hand on anyone promoting violence in any form against any group, sect, segment of society, be it so called religious leaders, parties, politicians, media or whatever.
@Megatron:
How come when the killers belong to the coalition?
This madrasa leaders are paying cost for criticizing the party of the educated middle class people on the skin snatching at Eid-ul-Adha.
We have did the best to the citizens of Pakistan as no past Govt. have ever done, people living standard have gone so high as the per capita income of Pakistani is above 1000$
@Yaida. Please do not bring religion in this debate. This fight started off when one political party asked all madrasas to register with them, we seem to have very short memory to analyze situations.
In a country where ordinary people are killed in the name of religion, why are we surprised when the role is reversed. It is but inevitable that ' every action has an equal but opposite reaction. '
Deliberate act to fire up sectarian killings.... :(
The provincial Govt. has completely failed to protect the people of karachi and to bring normal situation. karachi is already at stake such activities by the terrorists will add fuel to the fire.if the Govt. cant resotre the peace. They have no right to rule at all. The inefficient officials of Govt. must bring to justice.
I know mentioning it is akin to beating a dead horse but, it really is messed up that protests get setup in no time for only the religious leaders and not any other Pakistani death be it soldier or citizen. It's not like there's been a shortage of opportunity. I'm sure they're just as aware of those deaths as they are to ones like in this instance. There's no real way around it... the conclusion: They truly don't care about the common Pakistani or soldiers deaths.
@Megatron: Elections are near. Let that government be in power which can give 100% guarantee for the protection of its citizens.
Thank you People who can still vote these old parties...who are supporitng this government
anybody killed anywhere by anyone is very sad. Same sadness we feel when in retaliation innocent cars, properties and people are attacked. Our nations need peace, peace and peace
Everyday a new issue is given light. People get busy to review and analyze and forget about issues that entails them. Analyze last four years and you will know what i am talking about. I am sure this has some relationship with Election Commission and SC's recent move. God bless Pakistan
Govt. really has failed to protect its citizens. Sad and tragic.
Violence is committed from both the sides and both have to renounce it if peace is to prevail. Blaming only one side for the sectarianism is not going to help. Each side has to respect the lives, properties and sacred personalities of other.
May Allah SWT help us unite...
Way too much religion in everyday life.
@Megatron:
Correction 5 instead of 7 Taliban were killed ... This is pro-Taliban Madressah and now Taliban have taken over Main Rashid Minhas Road.... they are destroying public and private property and so far they have torched 5 vehicles and damaged a CNG filling station. Police and Rangers are standing there as silent spectators !
yeah it is sad the particular sects are being repeatedly targeted but protesters should be careful when protesting, what did the normal public do that they vanadlise property? they shd be caught also
last time 7 students were killed of same madersah..if government can't protect it's citizens then it has no right to rule