KARACHI, April 10: Leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami, Tehrik-i-Insaf, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and an organisation of lawyers have described the Wednesday violence in Karachi as “a conspiracy hatched in the presidency in Islamabad and the Governor’s House in Sindh to sabotage the new coalition.”

At a press conference held here on Thursday, Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, along with Siddique Rathore, Hashim Padhyar, Iqbal Munshi, Iqbal Aqil, Sarwar Mohammad Khan and others, demanded arrest of the criminals who killed and wounded so many people and disturbed the peaceful atmosphere in the city on Wednesday, and said that the similar incident that took place in the recent past, including the May 12 unrest, be investigated and all those involved be exposed and taken to task.

He expressed their deep concern over the burning to death of several people by the arsonists who torched Tahir Plaza on Wednesday, and said that the bloodshed was resorted to at a time when citizens of Karachi had not yet recovered from the shock of the May 12 tragedy. Lawyers offices and many private vehicles were set ablaze by attackers who eliminated no fewer than 14 people in a single day, he deplored.

Prof Ghafoor pointed out that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was protesting against the manhandling of Dr Arbab Rahim and Dr Sher Afgan as its parliamentary party leader in the National Assembly, Dr Farooq Sattar, accused leaders of the Karachi Bar Association of triggering violence and the Pakistan Muslim League-N of having distributed millions of rupees among lawyers for the purpose. However, he said, the responsibility of the spread of violence rested with the caretaker set up.

The JI leader argued that the MQM and the PML-Q were boycotting the assembly sessions against the manhandling incidents but avoiding to make mention of the widespread violence that took place on Wednesday although it left many people dead and injured.

He said the newly elected government could not be blamed for failing to prevent the manhandling or the violence because the Punjab assembly was yet to meet and the new chief minister of Sindh had just taken the oath of his office when the incidents of violence took place.

Prof Ghafoor and the accompanying leaders called for a through investigation of the Wednesday violence with the help of footage preserved by the electronic media, and said those identified as culprits in the footage and the photographs taken by the media men be arrested and punished.

“Not only the MQM has a big mandate in Karachi, but it has its own nazims and naib nazims elected from most parts of the city. Why didn’t all these elected people come out and check the violence?” he asked.

He also praised Aitzaz Ahsan for playing a positive role in the lawyers’ movement and thanked him for withdrawing his resignation from the office of PBC chief.He condemned the manhandling of media people and expressed his sympathy with those injured during the violence, saying that the government must move give exemplary punishment to all those involved in such incidents.

Mohammad Hussian Mehanti wondered that the police and rangers were seen nowhere when the arsonists were busy destroying peace and setting buildings and vehicles on fire.