Cleaning up: Anti-encroachment drive in Clifton turns ugly as vendors protest

MQM parliamentarian Ali Raza Abidi claims his restaurant was targeted unjustly.

KARACHI:

An anti-encroachment drive, conducted by the District Municipal Corporation, South, and assisted by police officers, turned ugly on Tuesday when offenders turned violent and opened fire at the officials.

The drive, jointly headed by the Saddar Town assistant commissioner and Frere ASP Shahla Qureshi, was conducted on Tuesday night to remove vendors who had encroached the area outside the Glass Tower shopping centre near Teen Talwar.

"After the recent bomb blast at Delhi Colony, we have been ordered to remove all encroachments in the area," Qureshi told The Express Tribune.



While they were removing the vendors, however, the shopkeepers turned violent and started protesting against them. They also tried to storm the police station. "Unidentified men opened fire to scare us but we ended our drive successfully," said the police officer. As the vendors were protesting, more police officers were called in to control the situation.

Meanwhile, MQM parliamentarian Ali Raza Abidi, who owns Biryani of the Seas, said that his restaurant was targeted unjustly in the drive. "The property is leased and there is no encroachment by my restaurant."

Abidi said that he would register an FIR against police officer Shahla Qureshi for carrying out illegal action and for beating up his customers.

@RiazToori @SindhPolice @BOTSPakistan they beat up kids, women and children too :(

— Syed Ali Raza Abidi (@abidifactor) April 29, 2014

"There were 30 customers at my restaurant, including women and children, when the police came in and started beating them with sticks," he said. "They broke the chairs and tables and threw the food."

Abidi questioned why his restaurant was targeted when it was on the other side and it wasn't violating any rules.

Yes, it's the building's property. “@nhd00: @abidifactor isn't bots seating area inside appartment complex?”

— Syed Ali Raza Abidi (@abidifactor) April 29, 2014

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2014.