NAWABSHAH: The second phase of a protest drive launched by the Sindh Taraqqi-Pasand Party (STP), against an alleged encounter in which police had shot and wounded a party activist on October 21, turned violent with police and protesters fighting pitched battles at scores of spots across Nawabshah on Tuesday.

In the first phase of protest, a camp was pitched near the local press club on October 22 to demand action against SHOs and personnel of the Airport and B-Section police of the city for wounding and arresting Salman, the younger brother of STP’s information secretary Nisar Keerio.

Party chairman Dr Qadir Magsi, speaking from London on October 22, had given a call for Sindh-wide protest which continued till Sunday (October 8) but no action was taken by the higher police authorities or the caretaker government in this regard.

The STP chairman announced the second phase of the protest drive from Tuesday with a shutterdown in Nawabshah.

Shutterdown observed across city; police use force to disperse men and women alike; party chief calls for blockading highways across Sindh today

The strike appeared effective as all markets, bazaars and business establishments as well as shops in streets and on roads across the city remained closed.

Liaquat Market, Mohni Bazaar, Lal Building Road, Kuchehry Road, Sarafa Market, Mobile Market, Masjid Road, Hospital Road, Sakrand Road, Bucheri Road, Old Nawabshah and other commercial areas wore a deserted look.

Groups of STP activists, including women workers, held sit-ins and rallies at different places. Police parties patrolled sensitive areas to maintain law and order.

While the protesters kept raising slogans against the city police and ‘fake’ encounter, the police moved into action to disperse them. They baton-charged the male and female activists forcing them to disperse.

Nisar Keerio’s mother and activist Anila Rafiq Mallah also faced baton-charge during a sit-in by women workers at a section of Sakrand road. The police used force to disperse participants of a rally while it was passing through Liaquat Market. Many senior STP activists, including Shahnawaz Keerio, Budhal Magsi, Ali Nawaz Katiyar, Maula Bakhsh Keerio, Ghulam Hussain Wassan, Shahzad Bhatti, Saleem Rehmani, Soomar Makrani, Sikandar Fakeer Merasi and Abid Bhatti were taken into custody and shifted to undisclosed locations by the police.

The party’s office, STP House, on Sakrand road was surrounded and raided for the arrest of Nisar Keerio but he was not present there.

Reacting to the police action against protesters on Tuesday, STP chief Dr Qadir Magsi has asked party workers and supporters to hold demonstrations at different sections along highways within their respective areas on Wednesday. He had already given a call for such protest for November 20.

FIR registered

A case (FIR No. 297/23) against four STP leaders and 28 workers was

registered at the A-Section police station on the complaint of SIP Ali Mardan on behalf of the state under sections 353, 341, 427, 337H-II, 147, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Those named in the FIR are STP Nawabshah taluka president Shahn-awaz Keerio, Budhal Magsi, Maula Bux Keerio and Abid Bhatti.

The complainant alleged that several STP activists armed with automatic weapons, rods and clubs attacked police mobile vans and personnel at different places, including Gol Chakra, Liaquat Market and Sakrand road. They resorted to aerial firing and stone-pelting to terrify traders and shopkeepers in their attempt to enforce a strike, the complainant said, adding that Abid Bhatti and some other suspects using firearms were arrested.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2023