KARACHI: Extraordinary arrangements were made by the Karachi police to provide security to the Minorities Rights March 2024 at Frere Hall on Sunday evening in view of threats from certain religious groups against the event.

Due to security concerns, the march, which was originally planned to end at Do Talwar, Clifton, stayed within the premises of the Frere Hall gardens.

Scores of activists of the religious groups arrived on the portion of Sharea Faisal close to the Frere Hall, but left while chanting slogans after the police prevented them from moving any further.

Later, they staged a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and announced that they would initiate legal proceedings against the organisers of the march.

Workers of two religious parties stage demo outside KPC

DIG-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that over 200 anti-riot police were deployed for the security of the participants of the march.

He said that the law enforcers covered the boundary of the Frere Hall gardens with tents and also placed containers on Fatima Jinnah Road to stop vehicular movement to avoid untoward incident.

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The DIG said that a few dozen workers of the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan on motorbikes and other vehicles passed through Sharea Faisal near the venue of the march. However, the police did not allow them to go towards Frere Hall.

He said that the activists held a protest demonstration against the march outside the KPC and dispersed.

Luke Victor, one of the organisers of the march, appreciated the police for restricting the workers of the religious parties near the KPC.

Meanwhile, TLP spokesperson Rehman Khan told Dawn that the police and local administration had assured his party that the participants of the march would not touch Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code.

He said but tableaux were presented and speeches were delivered on the subject. “We held the demonstrations outside the KPC against this act,” he said.

He also said that his party had approached the police for initiating legal proceedings against the organisers of the march.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2024