Pillion-riding ban lifted, cellphone services restored

Protests ended when governor rule was officially imposed in Balochistan.

HYDERABAD/ KARACHI: As the Hazara community in Quetta ended their protest on Monday afternoon, the protesters in Karachi also returned home.

The Sindh government also responded by lifting the ban on pillion-riding and restored cellphone services by evening. The ban was imposed late on Sunday for an indefinite period. A home department official told The Express Tribune that the ban on pillion riding and the suspension of cellular services was aimed at avoiding any potential terror activity during the protests in Karachi.

Nevertheless, the city observed a partial strike following the call by Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and the Shia Ulema Council on Monday.

Ancholi, Numaish Chowrangi, Abbas Town, Malir, Korangi and Star Gate were the most affected areas, where protesters continued their sit-in till noon.

Businesses remained closed and public transport also remained thin until MWM chief Allama Nasir Abbas Jaffery called for an end to the protest. “Our demands have been fulfilled by the government,” he said. All the roads blocked by the protesters were opened for the vehicular traffic. MWM general secretary Maulana Sadiq Raza Taqvi also paid thanks to the business community to support the strike.

Maulana Taqvi also called the information minister, Sharjeel Memon, on Monday to condemn the incident when he was manhandled. He said that some miscreants did that to sabotage the cause of the protest.

Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Rabita Committee appreciated the response to its call for a peaceful strike.

Hyderabad protest ends

The two-day long sit-in on the highways in various districts of Sindh ended peacefully before noon on Monday.

All the blockades on the Super, National and Indus highways were lifted in Jamshoro, Dadu, Matiari, Thatta and Benazirabad districts, besides others. The markets also reopened after a brief closure in the afternoon.

MWM leader Allama Hyder Ali Jawadi called off the protests at the Hyderabad Bypass where the sit-in lasted for over 45 hours. Later, at a press conference the MWM’s general secretary, Allama Imdad Ali Naseemi, thanked all the mourners’ associations and residents of Hyderabad for supporting them.

The Allama demanded DIG Hyderabad Sanullah Abbassi to arrest the men who attacked rallies in Tandojam, Kotri, Jamshoro, Umerkot and Tando Allahyar districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th, 2013.