City in gridlock due to protest sit-ins

All main arteries experience severe traffic snarls

Listen to article

KARACHI:

The protest of Majlis-e-Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM) continued for the 5th consecutive day in the city on Saturday, with central sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi which was attended by several religious, political and social leaders.

Sit-in protests hugely affected the flow of traffic on main arteries including Kala Chhapra - Sharea Faisal, M.A. Jinnah Road, Malir Kala Board, Sohrab Goth, Al Asif Square and Abbas Town as well as the link roads across the city. All vehicular traffic to the upcountry came to a halt due to protests and traffic jams.

Traffic police were not seen controlling or diverting the traffic to alternate routes.

Among notable figures were former Governor of Sindh Imran Ismail, PTI leader Mehmood Maulvi and MQM Pakistan leaders. Lawyers, human rights activists and social figures also joined the protest to express their solidarity.

Addressing the sit-in, MWM central leader Allama Hassan Zafar Naqvi responded to the statement of the Mayor of Karachi regarding the sit-ins. He said that Murtaza Wahab had become the mayor on a fake mandate, and is now speaking the language of the establishment.

He (Wahab) has not spoken on the closure of the roads of Parachinar for 80 days. It is pity that 130 innocent children died due to the closure of the road in Parachinar, but Murtaza Wahab remained silent.

Criticising Wahab further, the MWM leader said that the authorities are more worried about roads than the sit-ins, so the mayor should better do what is he is supposed to do rather than adding injury to the wounds of the victims.

He added that Karachi has always been the centre of protest politics. He demanded of Pakistan Peoples Party leadership take notice of Murtaza Wahab's anti-people statements.

Addressing the participants of the sit-in, MQM leader Shabbir Qaimkhani said, "We are against oppression. As a party, we have been raising our voice against terrorism for the past 40 years. We condemn the incidents of terrorism in Parachinar."

He urged that the roads to Parachinar should be opened immediately. We will raise an effective voice in the provincial assembly against this atrocity in Kurram Agency.

Former Governor Sindh Imran Ismail said that the terrorist incident in Parachinar is not the first. Pilgrims were targeted by terrorists in Quetta and Balochistan earlier. "We do not accept those who spread sectarianism. All units in the country should express solidarity with the people of Parachinar," he stressed.

Addressing the sit-in, Mehmood Maulvi said that he has heartfelt sympathy for the families of the martyrs and injured in Parachinar. "We stand with the people of Parachinar in this hour of difficulty," he said, adding that the current situation reflects the incompetence of the federal and provincial governments, who have not been able to open the roads there.

The sit-in was attended by MQM's Coordination Committee Member Masood Mehmood, MNA Abdul Hafeez, MPA Najam Mirza, MPA Amir Siddiqui, Allama Manzar-ul-Haq Thanvi, Allama Baqir Hussain Zaidi, Allama Nisar Ahmed Qalandari, Maulana Muhammad Hassan Raisi, Shamsul Hassan Shamsi, Ishaq Quraiti, Malik Ghulam Abbas, Hassan Sagheer Abidi and others.