KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf activists staged protests at three traffic intersections in the city on Sunday to express solidarity with the protesters on the Constitution Avenue in Islamabad.

By mid-afternoon, party activists started gathering at the Five Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad, in Baldia on Hub River Road, on Sharea Faisal and the Teen Talwar roundabout, Clifton. One track of Sharea Faisal, from the airport to Saddar, was blocked which was later filled by a huge crowd of party activists and supporters.

At Clifton, one track of the road opposite Teen Talwar leading to Seview was blocked with barricades. In Baldia, the protesters demanded the road be blocked but due to heavy traffic on the highway, police refused to oblige.

Nevertheless, both police and protesters agreed on partially blocking the road so as not to upset the traffic flow.

A PTI activist, Arsalan Ghumman, told Dawn that many small-scale protests had been organised in various parts of the city but the party cadre mainly asked the members to gather at the three main intersections.

Apart from chanting anti-government slogans, some activists that Dawn spoke to gave their opinions about the events of Saturday and how they saw it.

Participating in the protest at Teen Talwar, 27-year-old Zubair Dadi said, what happened the other night was “unfortunate.”

“People need to understand that most people who had joined PTI are not that evolved and they still need to mature politically. Personally speaking, I was not happy with their (PTI’s) idea of joining Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) march on the Prime Minister’s House. Those people are mischief makers and we saw what happened,” he said.

Disagreeing with him, a 62-year-old participant at the protest, Mohsina Khan said: “The participants were provoked by the police hence they reacted the way they did.”

From there the conversation moved towards the previous governments and how “disappointing” they have been. Speaking about the way forward and what she expected from her party chief, Imran Khan, Mohsina said: “There should be no more negotiations. It would be good if army interferes. Their interference would mean better implementation of policies by involving political parties to play an active role.”

Organiser of the protests and sit-ins around Clifton and Sea View, Aslam Khan: “I think the entire nation should come out on streets. We should stop being taken for a ride. The entire system needs an overhaul. I don’t like Dr Tahirul Qadri as a leader but I agree with what he’s demanding.”

Speaking about the role of the army in the entire situation, he said: “I’m not in favour of a martial law but the army is needed to control the situation as people are dying.”

For most part, the protesters were standing around waiting for the activists to show up. The men had dragged a traffic intersection barricade as a border between them and the women participants.

Women were asked to sit in the front while the men were standing right behind them. On the right side of the road leading towards Bath Island, police mobiles were parked and the police later asked the PTI organisers to remove motorcycles from there to ensure security to the participants.

Apart from chanting slogans against the government and the Punjab police, the activists made sure to praise the Sindh police and were seen offering them water.

A truck with huge speakers atop was parked right next to the traffic signal playing party and national songs. From time to time, Aslam Khan, who was also shouting slogans, would cheer up the crowd and ask them to take their place on the road.

MPA Khuram Shiekh, who was busy organising the crowd, said: “The political situation has dramatically changed overnight.”

He said the PTI’s demands would have to be listened to, “because we have made up our minds. This time we’ll shut down activity in entire Pakistan.”

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2014