KARACHI, May 5: A last-minute unannounced cancellation of walk-in interviews to engage low-ranking staff in the health department caused thousands of job-seekers on Monday to see red and forcibly occupy offices in the Civic Centre, attack security personnel and ransack furniture.

The Sindh government had placed an advertisement in the national dailies for recruitment in the health department and asked those residing in Karachi to reach the office of the executive district officer of the city government’s health department on May 5 for walk-in interviews for 800 posts in Grade-1 to Grade-4.

However, following a power-sharing deal between the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which received the portfolio of health, the latter reportedly wanted the postponement of the scheduled interviews.

On Monday morning, scores of job-seekers started gathering at the Civic Centre and by 9am their number rose to 5,000 to 6,000. When they were told about the cancellation of interviews, many of them became furious and started chanting slogans against the government.

Protesters beat up a woman security guard on the ground floor of the Civic Centre and snatched the official weapon of another security guard. They also ransacked a dispensary on the same floor. Scores of people also surrounded the offices of the health department on the sixth floor in the Civic Centre and forcibly occupied the offices.

In the meantime, a number of job-seekers, who were also submitting their applications in the education department in the Civic Centre, also joined in the protest and occupied offices of the education department.

Security staff of the city government reached the scene but remained powerless to control the agitating crowd. It is believed that the authorities stopped the personnel of the community police from controlling the frenzied mob in view of the possibility of a breakdown of law and order.

The protesters also tried to enter the Karachi Nazim’s secretariat on the first floor of the city government but the security staff locked all entry points to avoid any damage. The nazim was not present as he is currently on a visit to the United States.

A heavy contingent of police was also called but they were told to stay outside the Civic Centre’s premises. The protest continued till 3pm and finally the demonstrators dispersed after they had been assured that they would be interviewed soon. The chief security officer, Tahir Durrani, collected about 8,000 applications of all the candidates in the absence of EDO Health A.D. Sajnani. The snatched rifle was also recovered.

However, Mr Sajnani told Dawn that the interviews could not be held on Monday due to the unmanageable number of job-seekers.

He insisted that the scheduled interviews were neither cancelled nor postponed as instead of interviewing each applicant, the city government asked them to fill a form so that they could be assessed easily by the interview committee. The EDO maintained that the collection of forms would continue for three more days for which the city government had made elaborate arrangements. “We will extend the last date to accommodate each and every candidate,” he added.