The religious political party Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) on Thursday night expanded its ongoing metropolis-wide sit-in against the Parachinar killings by blocking almost all major arteries, according to officials, witnesses and organizers.
Protesters are protesting an incident in which two people were killed and then beheaded after being assaulted on their way to Parachinar in Bagan area of Kurram.
The MWM staged sit-ins at MA Jinnah Road and Abbas Town on Abul Hasan Ispahani Road during the week to show solidarity with the heirs of the victims, while protesting the violent clashes in Kurram area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which have claimed more than 100 lives since then. end of November.
As a result of the expanded protest, commuters have been facing traffic problems as sit-ins were organized on the main Sharea Faisal road, the main national highway at Malir-15, University Road and other major arteries.
Karachi Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Traffic Police Ahmed Nawaz Cheema said dawn.com that “citizens faced difficulties on Thursday night due to the sit-ins, and international passengers missed their flights as both Sharea Faisal roads near the airport were blocked.
On Friday, he said, “sit-ins were also held in Sharea Pakistan and in Nazimabad, Surjani Town, Sohrab Goth and Gulistan-i-Jauhar, causing inconvenience to citizens.”
Cheema said the police have provided alternative arrangements and routes to citizens to avoid getting stuck in traffic jams. He added that traffic police have been deployed on both day and night shifts to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
At around 9:40 pm, Karachi Traffic Police issued an update stating that traffic on Nishtar Road, Lasbela Chowk, Albela Chowk and Juman Shah Bukhari Signal was moving slowly due to the sit-ins in Nazimabad.
“Traffic police are present and directing traffic,” the statement read.
Sit-ins to continue until protests in KP end
Meanwhile, MWM central leader Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi said in a press conference on Friday night that “for the last 90 days, roads in Parachinar are closed, leading to shortage of essential goods and medicines .
“We have organized peaceful sit-ins in Karachi,” he said, adding that a jirga was being organized in Parachinar. “If (the Jirga) reaches any conclusion, we will share the relevant information,” he said.
Naqvi said there was no “Shia-Sunni conflict” in Parachinar, and questioned who described it as a sectarian issue.
He added that the government was aware of those involved in the murders. “The KP Chief Minister and the local administration were incompetent,” Naqvi claimed.
He said if there were any “problems” caused by the sit-ins, it was the government’s responsibility to resolve them.
“Is Shehbaz Sharif the chief minister of Islamabad and Lahore only?” he asked, stating that the government could not hold the KP government directly responsible for the Parachinar situation.
“The government established its mandate in Islamabad but could not get roads opened in Parachinar,” the MWM leader said.
Naqvi announced that the MWM would continue the sit-ins until the people of Parachinar ended their protest in KP.
