Police arrest FIxIt volunteers after clash with PPP workers

The FixIt campaigners had gone to dump garbage outside Saeed Ghani's office at Teen Talwar

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarian and FixIt campaigner, Alamgir Khan, was arrested from a protest staged in Clifton after his supporters clashed with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers on Sunday.

In 'protest'

FixIt workers had reportedly assembled to throw garbage outside Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani's office at Teen Talwar. The FixIt campaigner said they were doing so to protest the dire condition of the sewerage system in the city.

However, PPP workers were present outside Ghani's office along with a contingent of police before the FixIt workers arrived.

The police had placed barriers separating the PPP workers and the protesters. However, the barriers were only momentarily effective and the FixIt workers returned after a while with increased strength and began shouting slogans.

This angered the PPP workers. Both the parties forcefully removed the barriers and resorted to attacking each other with batons and sticks. The police resorted to baton charge to control them while traffic flow was affected with families abandoning their cars on the road, horrified by the scene unfolding before them. Windscreens and windows of various vehicles were also smashed in the commotion.

The police managed to break the fight and arrested several people who were taken to different police stations before agitators from both sides dispersed. Frere Town DSP Azam Baloch and Aram Bagh SHO were injured during the clash and shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

Press conference

Shortly after, Khan announced that he would be holding a press conference at Teen Talwar. However, he found the police waiting for him when he arrived and he was arrested as soon as he reached. FixIt campaigners attempted to thwart efforts to arrest Khan but to no avail.

The action taken by the police was under the directives of South SSP Sheeraz Nazir. He said that Section 144 of the Pakistan Penal Code has been imposed in the South Zone and all kinds of gatherings are restricted, adding that Khan and others were arrested because they were violating the law.

SSP Nazir added that higher officials were also in contact with him with regard to the incident. South DIG Sharjeel Kharal, Deputy Commissioner Salahuddin Panhwar and others also arrived at the scene and were briefed on the incident.

Khan was released from Aram Bagh Police Station but was arrested again when he arrived at Frere Hall Police Station demanding the release of his workers. Other FixIt campaigners staged a sit-in outside the police station.

According to SSP Nazir, Khan was arrested again because an FIR was lodged against him.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2019.