Karachi police on Wednesday fired water cannon and resorted to baton-charge to prevent protesting PTI activists, who have staged a sit-in on main Abdullah Haroon Road near Metropole Hotel in support of the demands of sugarcane growers, from moving towards the Chief Minister’s House to lodge their protest.

Karachi-South DIG Azad Khan said the action was taken by police after the failure of talks between the officials and PTI leaders. “Some protesters have also been taken into custody,” admitted the DIG.

Earlier in the day, Sindh police stopped the Kisan Insaf Rally near Nooriabad on National Highway from marching towards Karachi.

The rally had started its journey from Hyderabad in the afternoon to protest against the refusal of sugar mills to pay the officially fixed price of cane crop to growers.

After the rally participants were cornered near Nooriabad, several workers and leaders of PTI came out in their support in Karachi and staged a sit-in near Metropole Hotel, according to officials and witnesses.

“The PTI activists have staged the sit-in protest on the main road,” said Saddar SP Tauqeer Mohammed Naeem.

Contingents of police have been deployed in the Red Zone to prevent the sugarcane growers and PTI activists from moving towards the CM House to lodge their protest.

In the aftermath of the rally and subsequent protests, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered all sugar mills in the province to start crushing season within the next 24 hours.

The provincial chief executive reportedly took this decision on the directive of PPP-Parliamentarians President Asif Ali Zardari.

The rally was organised by PTI Sindh chapter to express support with the cane growers. PTI leader Haleem Adil Shaikh, who led the rally, had earlier accused that the Sindh government and “Zardari league” were supporting the sugar mill mafia. The participants are likely to present a memorandum to the chief minister regarding the sugar cane issue.

He had also pointed out that two ministers had extended fake assurances to farmers regarding the start of crushing season at sugar mills and the payment of official rate to cane growers.

On Wednesday afternoon, the PTI activists led by the party's provincial leader Haleem Adil Shaikh gathered at Rajputana hospital road and took out a rally in support of growers’ demand for payment of Rs182 per 40 kilogrammes — as notified by the Sindh government on December 5, 2017.

However, a heavy contingent of police gathered there and tried to prevent the participants from heading towards Karachi through Hyderabad bypass. The police parked oil tankers and containers on the road but the charged activists forcibly removed the tankers and headed to the bypass.

Later, police made another attempt at the bypass near toll plaza but the activists once again removed the barricades erected by police.

Subsequently, the police once again intercepted the rally in Nooriabad area. "We are currently present near Lucky Cement near Karachi where police are not letting us go", said Khadim Hussain, a party activist accompanying Haleem Adil Sheikh.

Growers in Khairpur end protest after assurance about implementation of SHC orders

Earlier in the day, the sugarcane growers protesting on National Highway in Khairpur district culminated their sit-in protest after a six-member team led by MPA Naeem Kharal gave assurances to them that the Sindh High Court's orders regarding the opening of sugar mills would be implemented in true letter and spirit.

On December 21, a division bench of the Sindh High Court in Karachi passed a detailed interim order in favour of growers, ordering millers to pay Rs172/40kg to growers and deposit security against the differential amount of Rs10/40kg with court’s Nazir.

The sugarcane growers had been protesting for last four days against the sugar mills' refusal to pay the officially fixed price of cane crop to them and closure of some sugar mills.

The growers were also assured that the closed sugar mills would start functioning on January 5 whereas the growers would be paid as per the rates already set by the SHC.