Members of different religious groups Monday (today) continued to protest against the arrests of, All-Pakistan Shia Action Committee (APSAC) Chief Allama Mirza Yousaf Hussain, and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) leader Taj Hanafi.
Protests continue in Karachi’s Malir area after top Shia cleric Mirza Yusuf Husain and leader of the proscribed Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Taj Hanafi, were apprehended by law enforcement personnel.
The two were detained following a resurgence in targeted sectarian killings linked that claimed 13 lives in the city within a week’s time.
Representatives of various Shia parties began protesting early Monday at around 1:30am in Malir and on Shahrah-i-Pakistan against targeted killings and arrests of workers,with protesters saying they will continue their demonstrations until arrested workers are released.
Police used tear gas shelling and aerial firing in an attempt to disperse the protesters, who were obstructing railway tracks in the area and bringing morning traffic along the National Highway to a standstill.
After an initial attempt at dispersing the crowd, the protesters regrouped at the same location. Talks between police and the crowd are ongoing.
Protesters were carrying signs against the arrests and the target killings of Shia religious leaders. They chanted slogans accusing the government of protecting leaders of banned outfits.
-Sindh cabinet meeting-
Inspector General of Police AD Khwaja on Monday briefed a cabinet meeting on law and order and said that important arrests had been made.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Shah said a zero tolerance policy would be adopted against those who disrupt law and order. He added that the Karachi will be ‘ruthless’ and would be sped up. “Action will be taken against anyone who takes the law into their own hands,” he said.
Read more: Allama Mirza Yousuf Hussain,banned outfit leader Taj Hanfi detained in Karachi