KARACHI, April 12: Widespread protests against Tuesday’s carnage in Karachi and mourning for victims brought the provincial metropolis as well as other towns of the province to a standstill on Wednesday.
The apparent suicide attack during the mammoth Eid Miladun Nabi congregation at the Nishtar Park killed 47 people, including several religious leaders, and injured over 100 others.
The main leaders of Sunni Tehrik, Maulana Abbas Qadri, Maulana Iftikhar Bhatti and Maulana Akram Qadri; Hafiz Mohammad Taqi of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, chief of Tehrik Awam Ahl-i-Sunnat Haji Hanif Blue and Anjuman Tulaba-i-Islam central secretary-general Pir Bux Piral were among the dead.
Hanif Blue and Hafiz Taqi were laid to rest here on Wednesday. The body of Mr Piral was sent for burial to his native Sibi town.
The funeral prayer of the leaders of the Sunni Tehrik is scheduled to be offered after the Maghrib prayer here on Thursday.
Reports of partial to complete strike were also received from Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot and some other towns of Punjab.
In Karachi, there was a complete shutdown. Markets and commercial establishments remained closed and the streets wore a deserted look. The Sindh government had already ordered closure of all educational institutions in the province. The Karachi Stock Exchange and the city’s wholesale markets also remained closed.
In some areas, angry youths took to the streets, lit bonfire and set some vehicles and public and private property on fire.
All petrol stations were also closed. The public transport was off the road but some private vehicles were seen on roads.
According to reports received from the interior of Sindh, business and commercial activities remained suspended in most towns and cities. Rallies and processions were held in which slogans were raised against the government and demand for immediate arrest of perpetrators of the crime was made.
In Karachi, the new leadership of the Sunni Tehrik served a 48-hour ultimatum on the federal government to ‘arrest and publicly hang’ the culprits.
At a press briefing, they warned that they would announce their line of action if no concrete step was taken by the deadline.
The ST held the Sindh government responsible for the blast and called upon the federal government to initiate an inquiry through federal intelligence agencies into the incident.
The government and police described the incident as a terrorist act. “It was a suicide attack and we are trying to establish the identity of the suicide bomber,” city police chief Niaz Siddiki said.
Violence broke out soon after the explosion on Tuesday evening. Many vehicles, including those belonging to police and fire-brigade, were set on fire as were petrol stations near the Nishtar Park. The police were able to bring the situation under control after midnight.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from various parts of the city on Wednesday and tension gripped the metropolis.
HYDERABAD: Angry protesters took to the streets, lit bonfire in Liaquat colony, Phulelli, Paretabad and the area around Medina mosque. The situation was brought under control by police after some time.
Under-trial prisoners were not brought to trial courts in Hyderabad and adjoining districts for lack of police escorts. The Jamat Ahl-i-Sunnat staged a protest demonstration outside the press club and condemned the carnage.
Mufti Ahmed Mian Barkati, provincial Amir Haji Gulshan-i-Illahi and district Amir Muharram Din Qadri demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators of the bombing.
They called upon President Musharraf to take action against the provincial government.
At another protest rally, Jamat-i-Islami leaders Maulana Abdul Waheed Qureshi and Sheikh Shaukat Ali termed the incident a plot to destroy the unity of religious parties.
The Jafria Alliance Pakistan, which met with Mr Abbas Murtazai in the chair, observed that the Nishtar Park blast was a continuation of Hangu, Bari Imam and other such incidents.
SUKKUR: A complete strike was observed in the city. Traffic was thin on roads. A low attendance was recorded in offices.
A protest procession was taken out by activists of Jamat Ahl-i-Sunnat and Sunni Tehrik from Ghousia mosque. The participants demanded immediate removal of the provincial government.
A complete shutdown was also observed in Shikarpur, Jaccobabad, Kandhkot, Thull, Kashmor, Guddu, Buxapur, Budani, Ghotki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro, Daharki, Pano Akil, Rohri, Kandiaro, Ranipur, Sanghar, Tando Adam, Shahdadpur, Khipro, Sinjhoro, Khadro, Jhol, Khairpur, Shahpur Chakar, Nawabshah, Naushehro Firoz, Daur, Thatta, Sujawal, Jati, Chuhar Jamali, Mirpur Sakro, Mirpur Bathoro, Badin, Mithi, Dadu and Mirpurkhas.
People in most of the towns remained indoors and police were deployed at sensitive places to avert any untoward incident.
In Khairpur, provincial president of Jamat Ahl-i-Sunnat Syed Ashiq Ali Shah Jilani led a protest procession organised by his party in collaboration with the Sunni Tehrik. The protesters raised slogans and offered fateha for the blast victims.
In Nawabshah, protesters lit bonfire and blocked the District Council Road.
In Thatta and Sujawal, workers of religious and political parties took to the streets, blocked the National Highway and lit bonfire there. Traffic remained suspended for several hours. Three activists of a religious party were injured in a clash with transporters who insisted on plying their vehicles.
Some youngsters forced their entry into the Thatta branch of the NBP, compelling the staff to suspend their work.
In Mirpurkhas, a coaster was set on fire by two motorcyclists. Quran Khwani was held in different parts of the city for the carnage victims.
Reports said that Hafiz Noor Mohammad’s body, a resident of Khairpur Nathan Shah who was killed in the blast, was brought to his native town on Wednesday. His funeral prayer was attended by hundreds of people.
Reports from Naushehro Firoz said activists of Jamat Ahl-i-Sunnat took out a procession and blocked the Mehrabpur-Halani Road. Led by Syed Akbar Ali Shah and Altaf Ahmed of the Pakistan People’s Party, protesters lit bonfire and raised slogans.
Meanwhile, the body of a youth was brought to Naushehro Firoz from Karachi on Wednesday. Shahid, 23, and his brother had gone to attend the Nishtar Park gathering. Shahid was killed in the blast. He was buried in a local graveyard.
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