Police and protesters face off in Karachi on Monday as demonstrators call for the release of religious workers a day after top Shia cleric Mirza Yusuf Husain and a leader of the proscribed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Taj Hanafi were apprehended. The two were detained following a resurgence in targeted sectarian killings that claimed 13 lives in the city within a week's time.

A high-level cabinet meeting in Karachi was briefed on the law and order situation in the metropolis, as police on Monday claimed important arrests were made during a targeted operation last night against "criminals involved in sectarianism and other heinous crimes".

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Shah during the meeting called for strict action to be taken against those who took the law into their own hands.

Protesters demand release of workers

Demonstrations calling for the release of arrested religious workers are ongoing in the Malir and Shahrah-i-Pakistan areas.

A third round of negotiations between police and the protesters was unsuccessful, as protesters are insistent upon the fulfillment of their one-point agenda, whereas police have adopted the stance that legal proceedings must be completed before any workers are released.

Intermittent skirmishes between police and protesters have resulted in tear gas shelling and aerial firing in an attempt to disperse the protesters. Protesters have resorted to stone pelting against the police.

An additional contingent of law enforcement personnel has been called on-site, and preparations have been made to baton charge and tear gas protesters. Rescue services are present at the site of the demonstration.

ASWJ's Taj Hanafi was apprehended Sunday from the proscribed organisation's headquarters, hours after former MWM leader and top Shia cleric Mirza Yusuf Husain was detained. On Saturday, former PPP senator Faisal Raza Abidi was arrested for his alleged involvement in cases of sectarian killings in Karachi.

Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) leader Allama Amin Shaheedi speaking to DawnNews was of the view that "very reserved religious leaders have been arrested".

"This is not a party matter," he claimed. "These people [protesters] will not return to their houses... The people who were arrested should be released, the balancing policy should be ended and action should be taken against terrorists."

Police operation and arrests

Police claimed to have launched a targeted operation against criminals involved in sectarianism and other crimes in various areas of Karachi on Sunday night.

An MWM spokesman on Monday claimed that MWM leader Ahmed Iqbal Rizvi was arrested from his residence in New Rizvia Society by police. No further details were provided.

According to the police, operations were conducted in:

• Gulshan and Metrovil where five suspects reportedly belonging to a proscribed organisation were arrested
• Pehlwan Goth, where nine suspects were arrested
• Hussain Hazara Goth where three absconders in various cases were arrested

Two other suspects nominated in a First-Information Report who were involved in a blockade of Numaish last night were arrested, police said.

Arrests include Mitha Khan Saand who has previously been booked and arrested in more than 64 cases, Mohammad Ramzan, Mohammad Fateh, Mohammad Shehzad, Liaquat Ali, Ali Nawaz, Ibrahim, Anees, Waqar Ahmad, a police statement said.

Sindh cabinet meeting

Inspector General of Police AD Khwaja on Monday briefed a cabinet meeting on law and order and said that important arrests had been made.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Shah said a zero tolerance policy would be adopted against those who disrupt law and order. He added that the Karachi will be 'ruthless' and would be sped up. "Action will be taken against anyone who takes the law into their own hands," he said.

Protests also took place on Sunday against the alleged 'desecration' of religious texts during a search operation in Shah Najaf Imambargah in Rizvia Society, a charge denied by Pakistan Rangers (Sindh).

A spokesperson of the paramilitary force termed photos of the alleged 'desecration' being shared on social media by ‘miscreants’ as contrary to facts. The motive for spreading such photos was “to create hindrances in the operation”, he said.

“The Rangers tended to pay due respect to the sanctity of the mosque, the imambargah and the seminaries during search operations in relation to the presence of miscreants there,” said a Rangers statement.

Personnel of Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and police conducted a search operation at the ASWJ headquarter near Nagan Chowrangi and detained ASWJ’s Karachi secretary general Allama Taj Mohammed Hanafi, said an ASWJ spokesperson on Sunday.

There was no word from the paramilitary force about his detention. The relevant New Karachi police officer also expressed ignorance about the incident.

ASWJ president Allama Aurangzeb Farooqui criticised the detention of Allama Taj Mohammed Hanafi and said that the detained leader was a candidate of the party for the by-election on NA-258 in Malir, scheduled to be held on Nov 24.

“Unjustified detention of Hanafi shows that the PPP-led government feared defeat of its candidate in the by-poll,” he said.

Earlier, in the small hours of Sunday morning, personnel of law enforcement agencies apprehended Allama Mirza Yusuf Husain, head of the and former leader of the MWM, police and party officials said.

He was picked up from his residence attached to Jamia Masjid Noor-i-Iman, where he was prayer leader, in Nazimabad.

Confirming the detention of Allama Mirza Yusuf Husain, Nazimabad SHO Faizul Hasan told Dawn that there were at least 16 cases against the Shia cleric and his name was also included in the 4th Schedule.

The MWM also held a demonstration on Sunday evening on M.A. Jinnah Road near Numaish Chowrangi against the arrest of ex-senator Faisal Raza Abidi and Maulana Mirza Yusuf Husain.

The protesters carried banners urging the government to arrest culprits involved in the killings of five people, including three brothers, in a gun attack outside a Nazimabad house, where a majlis for women was in progress on Oct 29.

Read more: No breakthrough in Nazimabad majlis attack probe despite raids, detentions

This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as qualified authorities and our staff reporters.