Rawalpindi clashes: Shia groups, ASWJ to protest today

KARACHI: To protest against the clashes in Rawalpindi on Muharram 10, in which at least 11 people were killed, all major Shia parties will stage protests in front of the main imambargahs in the city today [Friday] while the Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) will organise a protest at Guru Mandir. “We have designed a foolproof plan of securing the routes to diminish the chances of any possible confrontation between the activists of the rival groups,” said East district SSP Pir Muhammad Shah when contacted by The Express Tribune. All the entry and exit points for the participants of the protests as well as Shia-dominated localities have been identified and will be secured by the personnel, added SSP Shah. Meanwhile, the Sindh government imposed a 24-hour ban on pillion riding in Karachi at midnight Friday. The Private Schools Management Association and the chairperson of All Private Schools Management Association said that all schools will remain open as the protests will be held post-Friday prayers, after the school hours.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2013.