Following a confrontation with the police, JI protested today in ten locations in Karachi.
Following the arrest of more than ten of its activists by the police, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) stated on Saturday that it would stage protests at ten different locations throughout the city on Sunday (today).
After police used force to prevent party workers from organizing a sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly on Saturday, Karachi JI Ameer Monem Zafar declared that protests would take place at ten different locations throughout Karachi on Sunday (today).
As part of its “Jeenay Do Karachi Ko” (Let Karachi Live) campaign, the religio-political party had called for a demonstration outside the provincial legislature, calling for immediate action to fix the city’s broken roads, drainage concerns, and local body system problems.
After police used baton charges and tear gas shells to scatter JI workers who were trying to march towards the Sindh Assembly to launch a sit-in over Karachi’s local body system and civic issues, Zafar made his statement.
Speaking at a press conference, Zafar said that the protest was called to demand the rights of Karachi and called the police response “fascist behavior” by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the city.
He also criticized the administration for using tear gas shells and arresting multiple JI employees during the protest, saying that nonviolent civilians were being treated unfairly.
He demanded an explanation from the provincial administration for the transformation of Karachi into what he dubbed a “no-go area”.
Later, the JI leader told party members to leave for the time being and declared intentions to stage sit-ins at ten different locations throughout Karachi tomorrow.
According to accounts, after talks between authorities and party representatives failed, police in the capital of Sindh deployed tear gas and batons to break up a protest march organized by Jamaat-e-Islami.
After fruitless initial negotiations with police authorities, party workers started to move towards the Sindh Assembly in Karachi, which led to the incident. After talks failed to achieve a consensus, protesters persisted in their progress, and police launched a crackdown to prevent the march from reaching the assembly grounds.
As the marchers surged forward, police forces used tear gas shells and baton assaults. Prior to the event, authorities had already put in place a security plan that involved blocking entrance points with busses and police mobiles positioned across major roadways. To stop the procession and limit traffic heading into the assembly area, special barricades were placed on Court Road and Numaish Road.