Call for strike: Karachi to remain shut in protest today
MWM, JUI factions and ASWJ gave separate strike calls to condemn killings of people.
A view of the deserted Shahrah-e-Pakistan during Thursday's protests against the Mastung incident. PHOTO: ONLINE
KARACHI:
The city is likely to remain shut today to protest the ongoing killings.
The call for a strike was given by Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), who held several sit-ins across Karachi on Thursday. A similar call was also made by both the factions of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam, led by Maulana Samiul Haq and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ). Both sets of organisations said they want to protest the ‘systematic killings’ of their supporters.
Following the strike call, all associations of private schools in the city have announced to keep the educational institutions closed. Meanwhile, the exams scheduled for the day by the University of Karachi and the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology have also been postponed.
Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI), the apex body of public transport vehicle owners, has decided to keep its vehicles off the roads till 4pm. “We have asked our drivers and members to take off their vehicles from the roads on Friday,” said KTI senior vice-president Tawab Khan, adding that their association condemns the attacks in the country and hopes for immediate peace.
For the people of Karachi, there will be some respite as taxis and rickshaws will be available. All Karachi Rickshaw, Taxi and Yellow Cab Owners’ Association chief Hafizul Haq Hasanzai said that they don’t involve themselves in the business of supporting strike calls by any party. “If we support one group then we will have to support all and halt our vehicles on every strike call,” he explained.
Syed Safdar Shah Qadri of the All Karachi Qingqi Rickshaws Welfare Association also said that they have not given the strike call but their movement will depend on the situation in different areas. “We don’t give strike calls but people usually avoid coming out on the roads,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sindh traffic police have alerted all its traffic zones to set up necessary diversions and blockades for Friday protests. All traffic policemen in all zones will be on duty to manage traffic and divert vehicles away from protest sites, said traffic police security in-charge Muhammad Saeed.
“We will plan according to conditions but as the transporters and educational institutions have closed their operations, there will be no commercial traffic on the roads,” he said. “We are expecting traffic in district South.”
Thursday’s sit-ins also brought legal work at the City and Malir courts to a halt. But the officials had not decided their plan for Friday until late night. Several of them said they will decide according to the law and order situation.
Unhappy parties
Allama Hassan Zafar Naqvi, a spokesperson and the deputy secretary-general of MWM, appealed in a press conference on Thursday for a shutter-down strike to mourn the Mastung tragedy. “Our protest sit-ins will continue till the government meets our legitimate demands, including a countrywide operation,” said Allama Naqvi.
The MWM leader further demanded the law enforcers remove no-go areas, such as Manghopir, Kunwari Colony, Afghan Camp and Sohrab Goth, where there is a strong presence of banned outfits.
Meanwhile, JUI-S Karachi chief Qari Abdul Mannan Anwar told The Express Tribune that the party has joined hands with the JUI-F and the ASWJ to call for a strike on Friday to protest the target killing of its leader, Mufti Usman Yar Khan, and other victims. “Hardly any day goes by when we do not pick the bodies of religious scholars, seminary students and common citizens of this city,” said Qari Anwar.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2014.
The city is likely to remain shut today to protest the ongoing killings.
The call for a strike was given by Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), who held several sit-ins across Karachi on Thursday. A similar call was also made by both the factions of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam, led by Maulana Samiul Haq and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ). Both sets of organisations said they want to protest the ‘systematic killings’ of their supporters.
Following the strike call, all associations of private schools in the city have announced to keep the educational institutions closed. Meanwhile, the exams scheduled for the day by the University of Karachi and the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology have also been postponed.
Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI), the apex body of public transport vehicle owners, has decided to keep its vehicles off the roads till 4pm. “We have asked our drivers and members to take off their vehicles from the roads on Friday,” said KTI senior vice-president Tawab Khan, adding that their association condemns the attacks in the country and hopes for immediate peace.
For the people of Karachi, there will be some respite as taxis and rickshaws will be available. All Karachi Rickshaw, Taxi and Yellow Cab Owners’ Association chief Hafizul Haq Hasanzai said that they don’t involve themselves in the business of supporting strike calls by any party. “If we support one group then we will have to support all and halt our vehicles on every strike call,” he explained.
Syed Safdar Shah Qadri of the All Karachi Qingqi Rickshaws Welfare Association also said that they have not given the strike call but their movement will depend on the situation in different areas. “We don’t give strike calls but people usually avoid coming out on the roads,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sindh traffic police have alerted all its traffic zones to set up necessary diversions and blockades for Friday protests. All traffic policemen in all zones will be on duty to manage traffic and divert vehicles away from protest sites, said traffic police security in-charge Muhammad Saeed.
“We will plan according to conditions but as the transporters and educational institutions have closed their operations, there will be no commercial traffic on the roads,” he said. “We are expecting traffic in district South.”
Thursday’s sit-ins also brought legal work at the City and Malir courts to a halt. But the officials had not decided their plan for Friday until late night. Several of them said they will decide according to the law and order situation.
Unhappy parties
Allama Hassan Zafar Naqvi, a spokesperson and the deputy secretary-general of MWM, appealed in a press conference on Thursday for a shutter-down strike to mourn the Mastung tragedy. “Our protest sit-ins will continue till the government meets our legitimate demands, including a countrywide operation,” said Allama Naqvi.
The MWM leader further demanded the law enforcers remove no-go areas, such as Manghopir, Kunwari Colony, Afghan Camp and Sohrab Goth, where there is a strong presence of banned outfits.
Meanwhile, JUI-S Karachi chief Qari Abdul Mannan Anwar told The Express Tribune that the party has joined hands with the JUI-F and the ASWJ to call for a strike on Friday to protest the target killing of its leader, Mufti Usman Yar Khan, and other victims. “Hardly any day goes by when we do not pick the bodies of religious scholars, seminary students and common citizens of this city,” said Qari Anwar.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2014.