KARACHI: Jamat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday evening called-off the protest that the party had earlier started in protest against the prolonged power outages in various areas of the metropolis.
JI Karachi Ameer Naeem-ur-Rehman accused Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of stifling the success of its strike in Karachi. He alleged that unidentified men harassed and coerced the shopkeepers to open up the shops while the protest is still being carried out in different parts the city.
Further, he alleged the police of assaulting and arresting JI workers who were trying to make the strike effective through peaceful means. “The efforts of our members are reasonable, we are going to expand the scope of our protest,” he said during a press conference.
Rehman announced that the party will stage protests against the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) office on Sharah-e-Faisal soon.
However, he maintained that traders can open their shops and businesses after the Friday prayers. “The city used to see unnecessary strikes in the past. The MQM would shut down the city on orders by a leader in London,” he said. “Ours is a peaceful strike and conforms to laws stated in the constitution. Unlike the past, our strike highlighted genuine public issues,” he narrated.
Earlier in the day, JI had blocked the main Shahrah-e-Faisal for over an hour, making it insufferable for people in the city.
Party workers blocked the road at Malir 15 but denied when asked about it. Party’s chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman denied that they blocked any roads, adding that they are conducting a ‘peaceful protest’.
The JI Amir, Sirajul Haq, called upon the people of Karachi to respond to the party’s strike call adding that the strike has been called to pull Karachi out of darkness.
People at the protest venue said load-shedding and water scarcity issues must be resolved, however, a strike is hardly a solution.
Most parts of Karachi experienced unprecedented power cuts as a dispute emerged between the gas and electricity utilities in the city. As a result, water also ran short. Different political parties have protested the protracted power and water crises.
