Saturday witnessed hundreds of protesters taking to the city streets to strongly condemn the cold-blooded assassination of innocent citizens, including journalists, in targeted attacks by terrorists across Pakistan, especially in Quetta and Karachi.
Backed by political parties like the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), dozens of protestors belonging to the Hazara community held a protest demonstration at Karachi Press Club in the afternoon.
Another protest was held by the Karachi Union of Journalists (Dastoor) condemning the death of Saifur Rehman and Imran Shaikh, reporter and cameraman of a private TV channel who lost their lives in a twin blast in Quetta couple of days back.
Also agitated were the activists of Awami Jamhoory Party (AJP) who demanded justice for Jamal Latif Qadri and his twin brother Haider Latif Qadri in an attack in Lyari that left the former killed and latter wounded.
The Hazara protesters were holding placards and banners inscribed with slogans questioning the silence of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the United Nations and other authorities concerned over the killing of what a spokesman of the protesters latter told a briefing over 1,000 peace-loving Hazaras during past one decade.
Blasting the Government of Balochistan as a failure, they demanded that violence-hit Quetta be handed over to army, suo motu notice of Hazara’s killing be taken and the dismissal of Balochistan government.
Raza Haroon member of the MQM and Firdos Naqwi of the PTI also joined the protesters and condemned violence against Hazaras in Quetta. Haroon seconded the demand that Quetta be handed over to army as the provincial government had failed to protect the life and property of the masses.
He appealed to the chief justice to take sou motu notice of the killing of innocent Hazara people. Naqwi said his party was fully supportive to protest all sorts of highhandedness committed against deprived people, and not only those in Quetta but across Pakistan.
The KUJ-D demonstration saw senior journalist A H Khanzada saying: “We are journalists and are not affiliated with any political party but even then our people are being martyred”.
The media persons shouted slogans against the Balochistan government. On the occasion, Amir Latif, newly-elected general secretary of Karachi Press Club, also condemned the murder of journalists in Quetta. He condoled with the victims’ families.
President KUJ-D Afzaal Mohsin pointed out that mostly the journalists were being targeted in Balochistan and KPK provinces. He demanded the government of insuring safety to journalists’ life as well as increasing their salaries.