Sharae Faisal turns into battle zone

Police resort to baton charge and teargas shelling to smash PTI protest

KARACHI:

The city’s main traffic artery, Sharae Faisal, turned into a battle zone on Friday when police tried to smash a protest march of PTI workers against the assassination attempt on their leader Imran Khan.

The march was part of a countrywide protest called by Imran Khan against firing on his container in the long march on Thursday in which more than a dozen PTI leaders, including Khan himself, were injured.

In Karachi, the PTI march commenced from the ‘Insaf House’ and headed towards the Red Zone in the city center. The participants blocked both tracks of Shahrae Faisal.

The marchers were confronted by police at FTC Flyover who fired teargas shells and beat them with batons, but failed to disperse them. As they marched on, they were gain subjected to teargas shelling and baton-charge at the Regent Plaza intersection.

PTI Karachi chapter’s President Bilal Ghaffar, while addressing the participants, condemned the use of force by police. “We are holding a peaceful protest which is our democratic right. We also staged protests at 16 locations of the city on Thursday,” he said. “Our red line has been crossed and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah is responsible for the assassination attempt on Imran Khan,” he said, adding that the days of the “imported government” are numbered.

Police had set up roadblocks at Metropole Hotel roundabout to prevent the marchers from proceeding towards the Red Zone. As the marchers tried to remove the roadblocks, police fired tear gas shells and beat the marchers with batons in an attempt to disperse them. The use of force followed after police officials failed to talk the marchers out of their decision to march towards the important buildings.

PTI’s Sindh chapter president Ali Zaidi condemned the use of force by the police, saying that police resorted to teargas shelling and baton-charge against peaceful protesters, including women and children. “We have been subjected to state terrorism,” he added. “But our movement cannot be stopped through oppression.”

Opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh also condemned the use of force by police against PTI marchers. “Sindh’s slave police are trying to appease their masters. The Sindh government is a facilitator of the imported government which is trying to repay a debt of slavery,” he said.

He said that the PTI revolution would put an end to the era of Zardari in Sindh. “The slave police and slave ministers of Sindh will be held accountable,” he added.

A huge contingent of police was deployed along the march route. Police detained several marchers, including women, while several PTI marchers were also injured in the baton charge and teargas shelling and resulting stampede. PTI leader Raja Azhar was also among the injured.

Due to the chaotic situation arising from the police crackdown on the PTI marchers, traffic flow on both tracks of Sharae Faisal was badly affected. Worst traffic jams were witnessed at Saddar, New MA Jinnah Road, Fawara Chowk, PIDC, Teen Talwar, Nursery, Sharah-e-Qaideen, Korangi Road, Kala Pul, Baloch Colony Flyover and other nearby roads.

Commuters, especially women, had to endure the torturous traffic jams while returning home from offices. Sharae Faisal was reopened for traffic after PTI marchers dispersed and the situation returned to normal.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2022.