The road where you would usually see hustle and bustle every day was completely deserted on Sunday. I could see only some indolent policemen trying to prevent exasperated citizens from moving towards the main road.
The path was blocked with cargo containers, minibuses and a truck, and a group of beleaguered people, including women, relatives of patients admitted in a nearby private hospital, worn out after engaging in lengthy and futile arguments with the law-enforcement agencies (LEAs), parked themselves on the road and waited for the law enforcers to unblock the road again.
This is the scene of a small off-road connecting Depot Lines with one of Karachi’s main artery, the MA Jinnah Road.
Personnel of the Sindh police, Pakistan Rangers-Sindh and other LEAs had started blocking every possible entry and exit point of the MA Jinnah Road – formerly Bunder Road and later named after the country’s founder – with containers, minibuses and water tankers since late Saturday evening.
All the roads and streets leading to the main procession route of the Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) in Saddar Town were completely sealed.
Besides aerial monitoring through helicopters, drills were conducted on tackling any possible emergency situation. Higher authorities deployed more than 6,000 police personnel for the security of the central mourning procession in the metropolis.
Strict security measures are implemented every year for protecting the participants of the Muharram and Chehlum processions, but following the arrest on Saturday of a suspected militant plotting an attack on the Chehlum procession in Karachi and the blast in the Chehlum procession in Khanpur on Sunday, security was strengthened further in the metropolitan.
The authorities blocked the roads late Saturday night, and there was a curfew-like situation in the entire area by Sunday, as no vehicle was allowed to enter any street that was cordoned off, and commercial centres, shopping malls, private and public schools, small roadside shops, and even hospitals remained closed.
A large number of people populating several residential plazas in the surrounding areas of the main procession route were confined to their homes.
Besides, family members, relatives and other attendants of patients admitted in major hospitals located along the route of the main procession, including the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, were unable to reach the health facilities.
Policemen on motorcycles and Rangers in mobiles were patrolling the area all day, preventing children from playing cricket or any other game on the deserted roads.
At different entry and exit points, people were seen requesting police and Rangers personnel to let them pass, but their requests, as you might expect, were disregarded.
We all faced alot of Trouble since Saturday Nite , a weekend which people look forward to getting work done , we all faced traffic jams as they blocked roads on saturday night & on sunday the entire day we were jailed in our own homes as jaloos comes out around 4 pm but roads are blocked day before night .
I understand its a big Prayer day but please dont put others in a Problems
Matami Jaloos are the protest against yazeediyat, and will be continued for ever…..as for as security isses are concerned, these are not the Matami Jaloos which put others in problems, there r too many things which happen on daily or weakly basis like political n religious strikes, students demonstrations, long marchs, etc but nobody say "PLZ DONT PUT OTHERS IN PROBLEM" however Matami jaloos in memories of Shohada-e-Kerbala comes in once or twice a year and we r sure these Processions are solution of all existing problems, Imam Hussain A.S.'s Shahadat is a lesson which everyone should follow……..so if anyone suffers for a day plzz be calm and supportive……Regards (visit n join page "Syed Jarrar Abbas" n suggest topics for my radio programs, u can also listen my programs from the link available on its wall….thankss)
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