Thousands of people swamped the streets of Karachi on Friday in support of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, as the party’s first attempt to shut down the city remained fairly successful with traffic off the roads and many markets closed.
In all, there were 20 designated spots for sit-ins in the city including 10 major locations – such as Native Jetty, Kala Pul, Teen Talwar, Numaish, Five Star, Hasan Square, Nursery, Star Gate, Qayyumabad, Super and National highways – which choked the city’s main arteries.
Workers of the party began assembling on the roads as early as 6am, and in some areas, such as Expo centre, tyres were burned to push back traffic. Buses remained off the roads and a majority of schools were shut. Thousands of commuters who rely on public transport were unable to make it to their offices.
As PTI workers chanted ‘Go Nawaz, Go’ slogans an effigy of a lion was set ablaze on Shahrah-e-Faisal, the city’s main thoroughfare.
Around 2:18pm, Imran Khan’s plane arrived in Karachi at the old airport. Clad in a white kameez shalwar and party flag around his neck, he spoke to the media and thanked people of the city, the transporters and traders for their response.
Imran said he would later hold a press conference to show that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s leader Rana Sanaullah’s men were behind the killing of a party worker in Faisalabad. “I will file a case against [them] all.”
Imran, however, did not mention the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) or its chief Altaf Hussain – with whom he had traded barbs in the past – but said it was the basic democratic right of his party, as well as that of every citizen, to protest peacefully.
With men hanging from his black bulletproof Land Cruiser, he reached the first sit-in site, Star Gate, where a large number of activists had already gathered. Heads draped in green and red headbands, they danced to Pushto songs.
The PTI chief waved and spoke from his car only, pledging to talk to them all later at the party’s gathering at Nursery area. As the political cavalcade made its way to Shahrah-e-Faisal, media vans sped away with zealous groups of bikers following closely behind.
Some last-minute changes were made in Imran’s itinerary. His party apparently scrapped his earlier plan to visit all major sit-ins venues in the city. Instead, Imran left for a party leader’s house.
Speaking to media from there, he said the “sooner the judicial commission was made, the sooner the issue of rigging would be solved”.
Other sit-ins in the city started wrapping up, and men and women, young and old, made their way to the Shahrah-e-Faisal. Equipped with a sound system, a truck – carrying the PTI leader Asad Umar – jostled its way amidst the massive crowd. With announcements made to clear the way, the truck kept on moving and stopped near Nursery Bridge, the expected spot for Imran Khan’s address.
People shoved and pushed to get closer to the truck. Some climbed atop tall billboards, others on trees and rooftops of nearby apartment complexes and houses.
PHOTO: ONLINE
Speaking from the cramped truck, PTI leader Arif Alvi said that people voluntarily closed down their businesses and that nobody had forced them to do so. Another leader Najeeb Haroon said a new Pakistan is in the making where everyone would get their rights. Repeated appeals were made to party workers and photographers to ‘get off the truck’. ‘The chairman is coming,’ echoed continuously.
Imran Khan, however, never came to the truck and spoke to the crowd from his car, his speech lasting less than 10 minutes.
“On December 15, we are coming to Lahore,” he said, adding that people of Lahore will block roads just like people in Karachi. Imran Khan said after a judicial commission is set up, all those involved in rigging of general elections of 2013 will be punished for the first time.
“I see a Naya Pakistan and genuine democracy,” he said, adding that after rigging is uncovered, there will be a new election commission and fresh polls.
Imran left some of his protesters dismayed as many of them could not catch a proper glimpse of him.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2014.
COMMENTS (21)
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@Shah Farman: PMLn is not confused. Economic loss was done by PTI to satisfy its ego. Call for voluntary shutdown was flop, for only a handful of workers were seen blocking roads on each point with the support of police.
@the Skunk: Sir u must be high, there was no mamoth gathering. At teen talwar the heart of Dr. Alvi's NA250 there was barely anyone out blocking the road except for a dozen PTI thugs supported by Police barricades blocking roads. The city was closed because PPP let it happen and becuase PTI is beig supported by the establishment. PMLn won fair and square and IK wants to topple an elected govt. This is the truth.
Like Geo TV, PMLN is confused. They say it was not a successful shutdown but also shed tears on economic loss. Lol
poor show of low attendence as expected.
An absolutely misleading headline by ET. This was no spontaneous shutdown where people stayed home voluntarily. If the transport union goes on strike and people are not able to reach their offices or factories woykd one term it support for the transport union. And lets not ignore the elephant in the room; had mqm not given a tacit approval, this shutdown would not have gone anywhere. Even with this clear field given to OTI, it could only mobilize people in just scores or a few hundreds at most of the sit in points. Hence, a less breathless coverage is called for!
@SK: blatant murders at model town - very sharif sending your party workers out to confront and shoot workers [in clear view of the police] - extra sharif
seems like nothing but mass massacre will suffice from where you stand...or maybe crackdown similar to those that dictators do to muzzle political opposition.
Please note that the demands are vote audit, electoral system reforms. punishing those found involved in the rigging, etc. if these were taken care of in the 1980s then we would have had these problems to begin with. The only demand which was unfair in my opinion was the resignation of the prime minister and since that is off the table, everything else is our basic right which is being denied to us by the govt.
What happened to mr shahbaz shariff's promises of bringing mr zrdari to justice..seems like they've reached an understanding..what is this except politics of expediency.
seems like you've already made peace with the devil sir but we still hope for a better future
The PTI gathering was of mammoth proportions and a resounding success. Congratulations Imran!. Change, change, change.......from tribal and ossified ways. Salams
@Ch. Allah Daad: Chaudhary Sahib! Let's see the lite of the day and desist from living in the past. No offense meant. Salams
Not a big show as was epected by MEDIA.... PTI should thanks to MQM,... Good bias covereage by ET....
So closing down cities seem to have become a new normal in Pakistan.Does one realise the economic losses. Donor agencies should wake up and stop giving their taxpayers money to country that does not want to work for it's own betterment
People of Pakistan can strangle the economy by blocking roads and stopping trade, then they can all live in peace in a cave. If you want democracy learn some basics it's not just about elections, it's about an attitude. If any such political protest takes place in civilized world whom this mob wants to emulate, they will quickly learn that you cannot use public space and utilities for free and unless you respect the right of others to work and live a normal life, you can end up in jail pretty quickly along with your leader who incites violence and does not know when to stop. For liberals, check the proposed curricula changes in KPK and soon you will learn that all liberal girls will become hostages in their houses, even your pictures without "appropriate dress" and head gear will not make it to the news.
Gain of Imran Khan is a loss of Pakistan. Any leader who cares for poor people would not do these destructive activities.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please rise for the champion.
Demolish away the ole system for a vibrant democracy built around transparent institutions of states. Way to go PTI.
With you IK;
I will simply run over any one blocking my way.
So what was the point of all this ?
Somebody should punch Arif Alvi in the mouth. This dentist has been a curse on Karachi and was using bellicose language in shutting down the city
Miscreants unite convention!
They should not have been allowed to shut down the city. The loss in economic activity is in the billions.
Shame on Imran khan Niazi and his rabble!
12 December has proved once again that Imran Khan attacks soft targets only. Thus, while he has spared no venom for politicians, police and judiciary he has not, repeat, not once found a reason to fault the role of armed forces in country's 67 years history. If this was not mind boggling enough, it is now clear that PTI and its leader have reached an understanding with mqm. Hence, mqm allowed the September jalsa and today's petered out shutdown call and as a quid pro quo, PTI has gone completely mum about mqm and its supposed high handedness that it used to talk about in the pre election run.
What is this except politics of expediency and power grab. NS government is indeed being too shariff and perhaps wisely so in not going too tough after the attempts at anarchy by PTI. Can we imagine ANP of 1980s or 90s being able to raise such demands and being spared the wrath of the state. No, never. Take away the GHQ support and what else are you left with - a bunch of rabble rousers and anarchists with no tangible agenda and no concrete work plan. Furthermore, take away the media coverage and you would see PTI robbed of its oxygen. No wonder its calls for mass mobilisation have been ignored by most of the population.
This is not to say that PMLN has been models of good governance but to establish that PTI's vacuous policies and actions have robbed it of its role as an effective opposition or a credible alternative to PPP or PML. If anything, judging from the immaturity of its avtions over the last several months, msmy would now prefer the devils they know over the ones that they see to be growing in front of their eyes.