In solidarity: With burnt tyres and gunshots, outraged residents mark protest

Stray bullet from clash between two groups in Korangi kills 26-year-old man .

KARACHI:

A day after the deadly blasts shook Peshawar, residents all the way in Karachi rose up in solidarity on Monday.

Several members of the minority community joined hands with the rest of the city to condemn the brutal suicide bombings that claimed more than 80 lives on Sunday. Early Monday morning, philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi led a peace walk from Boulton Market to Quaid-e-Azam’s mazaar. To send a message of interfaith harmony, a large number of Edhi ambulance drivers, nurses, office staff and volunteers participated in the demonstration. “Our brother, children, mothers and sisters died in Peshawar,” said Edhi, before offering his condolences to the grieving families.

Violence

As the day progressed, the protests became increasingly violent with Korangi and Sharae Noor Jehan being the worst affected. In Korangi, evening clashes between two groups were reported in Zaman Town, where firing was reported throughout the day. “The protesters came under attack during a peaceful protest,” Noel Alfonce of the National Commission for Justice and Peace told The Express Tribune.



As both groups resorted to aerial firing, a 26-year-old man, Nazar Iqbal, was hit by a stray bullet and died. SHO Sarfaraz Gondal said Iqbal was not part of the protest. “He was just standing outside his house in Michael Colony when a stray bullet killed him.” According to DSP Farhat Kamal, only four to five people were injured in the clashes. “The two sides were using knives and sticks,” he said.

A spokesperson of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat claimed that the protest became violent when the minority group ‘attacked’ Masjid-e-Khulfa-e-Rashideen. “They even tried to set ablaze the masjid,” he insisted.

The Christian community elders in the area admitted that some of the young boys did get carried away and threw stones at a mosque board but they submitted a written apology. Nevertheless, the clashes resulting from this continued well into Monday night.

Earlier, a major protest took place at Qalandria Chowk on Sharae Noor Jahan where police used teargas shells, claiming the protesters tried to damage public property.

Members of the Christian community also staged protests in Essa Nagri, Nazimabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Korangi, National Highway, Sharae Faisal, Liaquatabad, Taiser Town, MA Jinnah Road and outside the Karachi Press Club.

“Who has given them [terrorists] the right to kill innocent people, especially women and children,” asked Boota Masih. “We cannot take revenge by killing terrorists but we can at least record our protest.” The protesters burnt tyres on the road that blocked traffic and created a gridlock on several main arteries of the city. The police and Rangers stood on standby to prevent the clashes from getting worse.

“Yesterday, we detained 48 suspects in Essa Nagri for rioting and attacking law enforcers,” said DSP Nasir Lodhi. “No major violent incident took place today as they cooperated with us and we returned the favour by releasing all the detainees.”

In Hyderabad

Meanwhile in Hyderabad, the Christian community vented their anger by holding protest demonstrations with a limited degree of violence. Young men carrying sticks and batons forced several markets in Latifabad, City and Cantonment Board areas to shut down as several of them threw stones on main roads and burnt tyres to block traffic. The Jamiat-i-Islami’s district Ameer Shaikh Shaukat, Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen’s Imdad Naseemi, Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam’s Taj Mohammad Nahyoon’s and Advocate M Prakash from the Hindu community were among other civil society representatives who participated. Protests were also held in Jamshoro, Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Tando Muhammad Khan, Matiari and other districts in Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas divisions.

Vigil at Holy Trinity Church

Several residents, politicians and civil society activists gathered at Holy Trinity Church on Monday evening to show solidarity with their Christian brothers and sisters. Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf, Christian Council, church authorities and numerous residents lit up candles in memory of the innocent victims of the blast. Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement held a separate vigil at the party headquarters at Nine Zero.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2013.