KARACHI: Police on Sunday fired shots into the air and used tear gas shells as well as water cannon to stop participants in an Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) rally from marching towards the US consulate general here to lodge their protest over the recent remarks of President Donald Trump against Pakistan.

Scores of ISO workers and supporters gathered at the Numaish traffic intersection on M.A. Jinnah Road, which was already blocked by putting containers.

Also, the road leading to the US consulate was also closed for vehicular traffic and a heavy contingent of police was deployed there.

A police spokesman said that the ISO announced their rally from Numaish to the US consulate general located on Mai Kolachi Road.

MWM condemns police action against ‘peaceful’ protesters

“Keeping in view the prevailing security threats and past history of violent protests at the consulate general, police and local administration asked the leadership to review their plan,” the police spokesperson said. “They were contacted again and again and asked to hold their protest at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) to avoid any untoward situation but they did not accept.”

Witnesses said the participants in the rally tried to move after talks between the organisers and police failed.

The police fired tear gas shells to prevent them from moving further and detained some of the protesters. One police officer and some protesters were injured, they added.

Later, both sides resumed talks and as a result the protest was restricted to the Numaish traffic intersection. The participants dispersed peacefully after getting assurances that those arrested by the police would be released, said a spokesperson of the Majils-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM).

The police spokesperson said that the law enforcers had to use tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesters amid fears of a previous incident outside the US consulate general by the same organisation which resulted in the death of a man and injuries to several others a few years ago.

He said that when around 300 people gathered at the Numaish intersection and started marching towards the US consulate general the police and local administration offered them to send a delegation comprising three to five persons to the US consulate to meet their representative and record their protest. “But they (protesters) said they would seek permission from their central command at Karachi and Lahore.”

In the meantime, some protesters still wanted to proceed and police tried to stop them but they turned “violent’ and pelted stones on the police. SHO Shehzada Saleem of the Tipu Sultan police station was injured.

Meanwhile, an MWM spokesperson condemned the use of excessive force that include baton-charge, tear gas shelling and firing on their ‘peaceful’ rally in which children and women were also present.

“By sabotaging a peaceful protest against the US the Sindh government and the police have shown their support to America,” the MWM spokesperson said.

MWM leader Allama Mukhtar Imami urged the Sindh chief minister and the governor to take notice of the incident and take action against responsible police officers.

He believed that the US and India were against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal ordered the police authorities to release the held protesters forthwith.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2017