KARACHI: City life on Thursday became almost paralysed with the late-night expansion of protest sit-ins organised by the Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen at nearly a dozen key traffic intersections against the Mastung bus attack, causing Karachi’s traffic system to collapse, followed by a strike call by the MWM for Friday to assert its demand for a military operation against terrorists.

Though no major violent incident was reported during the hours-long sit-ins across the city, a face-off between a section of protesters and police led to a baton charge, tear gas shelling and firing into the air by the law enforcement agency.

The day broke with confusion for tens of thousands of parents, puzzled by the early morning transmission of news channels flashing blockade of key roads owing to the expansion in sit-in protests, which stretched to almost every city district late in the night.

A demand for school closure by one of the associations further complicated the situation for both parents and school managements. The emerging scenes scared the transporters and only a small numbers of buses were seen on roads with massive traffic jams on alternative routes, mostly winding through the narrow lanes of residential areas.

Passengers of arriving and departing flights faced an uphill task in reaching their destinations because of the blockade of Sharea Faisal from Drigh Road to the Malir City traffic intersection as two of the 12 sit-in protests were being staged on the route of the key road at Malir 15 on the National Highway as well as at Natha Khan.

The other such spots included Ayesha Manzil and Incholi on Shahrah-i-Pakistan, Hazara Goth and Safari Park on University Road, Abbas Town on Abul Hasan Ispahani Road, Five-Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad on Shahrah-i-Shershah Suri and Golimar Chowrangi near Rizvia Society.

At Merewether Tower at least four people were wounded when dozens of protesters, including women and children, ‘defying police orders’ converged at the main traffic intersection to stage a sit-in. Brief altercations and arguments between the two sides led to a baton charge by the police.

The crowd first dispersed but regrouped and returned to the venue, but this time the police responded with more force and fired tear gas shelling. The ensuing panic left four people injured as the police rounded up more than a dozen ‘suspected miscreants’. “No case has been registered but they are being interrogated,” said an official at the Kharadar police station. “There are certain places where the protest stage-ins are being organised. The protesters were told that they could join the sit-in at the nearest spot, Numaish intersection, but they defied the set rules and forced the police to respond harshly.”

At other sit-in spots while protesters were addressed by senior leaders and clerics, youngsters burnt tyres on the main roads and blocked them, spreading concrete structures. In the second half of the day, the Friday strike call came from the MWM. MWM leaders called a countrywide ‘peaceful strike’ and appealed ‘to the transporters and traders to keep their businesses closed in solidarity’ with the protesters.

“The MWM has appealed for a shutdown strike on Friday to mourn the Mastung tragedy in which Shia pilgrims were martyred,” said an MWM spokesman in a statement. At a press conference, MWM leaders refused to end the sit-in protests till their demands were met by the government.

“Sit-ins will continue until the government meets our legitimate demands that include a countrywide military operation to eliminate terrorists,” said Allama Hassan Zafar Naqvi, deputy secretary general of the MWM, at the press conference.

“You [the government] called an APC and decided to hold talks, but they [militants] reacted by bombing Major General Sanaullah. You repeated an offer for talks; they assassinated news channel employees; you stressed talks again and came the R.A. Bazaar attack; you kept repeating your offer and they kept repeating their brutalities and finally hit the Shia pilgrims in Mastung.”

The situation on Thursday and the strike call for Friday convinced the transporters to keep their businesses closed as they with the ‘moral support’ also sounded concerns about the security of their stakes.

“Due to the sit-ins on Thursday, there were fewer than 50 per cent buses on roads,” said Irshad Bukhari of the Karachi Transport Ittehad. “So, in this situation it would not be wise to bring buses on roads. Similarly, we were approached by the parties calling a strike to seek our cooperation. We feel ourselves bound to support any positive cause in the country, so we endorsed their call.”

Exams postponed

Karachi University postponed all exams and selection boards scheduled for Thursday and Friday owing to the city situation.

According to the notifications issued by the KU registrar and controller of examinations, new dates for the exams and selection boards (for teaching and non-teaching cadre) will be announced soon.

Schools closure

Fearing security issues, all private schools in Karachi will remain closed on Friday as a precaution, but the Sindh Education Department has decided not to declare it an official holiday.

Shortly after the Private Schools Management Association, All Private Schools Management Association and Peak Private Schools Management announced the closure, the Sindh education department issued a statement that though the department condemned the unfortunate incident in Balochistan and the unrest that followed, it hoped that children’s education would not be disturbed by it. “Therefore all government schools will remain open on Friday,” said a spokesman for the education department.

Courts

Legal work at the subordinate judiciary of the city also remained suspended as the jail authorities on Thursday did not bring the undertrial prisoners to courts, citing road closures in protest against the Mastung attack on pilgrims.Hundreds of cases fixed at the city courts, district courts in Malir, anti-terrorism courts and other special courts for the day were not taken up for hearing.

An official at the city courts lockup said the UTPs were not brought there as many roads were closed. Legal proceedings also remained suspended at the district courts in Malir, anti-terrorism courts, banking courts, anti-corruption courts, anti-narcotics courts and accountability courts for want of custody.

However, the courts took up remand applications of the newly arrested, bail applications and other urgent matters for hearing.

Flight delays, cancellations

Many flights leaving the city were cancelled and many others were delayed owing to the city situation which did not allow the passengers and crew to reach the airport to get their flights.

Among the flights cancelled, according to PIA spokesperson Mashhood Tajwar, was Peshawar bound PK 350, which was scheduled to leave the city on Thursday at 3am. Other flights cancelled included PK 300 to Islamabad; PK 302 to Lahore; PK 330 to Multan; PK 346 to Bahawalpur; PK 521 to Turbat, etc.

The flights that were merged included PK 300 and PK 368 to Islamabad; and PK 302 and PK 304 to Lahore. Islamabad-bound flight PK 308 that was to leave the city at 4pm was delayed and it left the city at 6pm; Lahore-bound PK 306 and Jeddah-bound PK 7211 were also delayed for around an hour. Jeddah-bound PK 731, scheduled to leave at 6pm, was rescheduled and was expected to leave by 11pm.

Two trucks set on fire

In Orangi Town two trucks were set on fire, but the investigators were not sure if the act was linked with the ongoing protest. The trucks were intercepted and set on fire on Shahrah-i-Orangi near Al Khidmat Centre.