Ban on Shia website: Police disperse protest rally in Karachi

Protesters wanted to register their complaint to PTA against the ban on watchdog website, shiakilling.com.

KARACHI: Police officials resorted to using teargas and aerial firing to disperse a protest rally by the Shia Action Committee (SAC) near Numaish Chowrangi in Karachi, Express News reported on Tuesday.

The protesters wanted to go to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) office on Shahrah-e-Faisal and register their complaint against the ban on a watchdog website, shiakilling.com.

The law enforcers had told the participants of the rally that they will not be allowed to reach their destination and the protest route was blocked. However the protesters, mostly youngsters, overcame the blockade and moved on.

The protesters also threw stones at the police officials present in the area and burnt tyres. Groups of new protesters joined the demonstration later.

No arrests have been made so far.

The block on the Shia killing watchdog site came almost a week after the regulatory body had blocked the official website of the Ahmadiyya community, which was unblocked later.