After the announcement of ending its Azadi March sit-in which had been underway for 13 days in Islamabad, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s Sindh chapter has planned to block the main entry and exit points of Karachi today as the part of its protest’s Plan B, The News has learned.
JUI-F leaders have announced that, according to the Azadi March’s Plan B, its anti-government protest would be spread across the country, and not only major arteries but roads and streets of the country would also be blocked starting 2pm today (Thursday).
The JUI-F Sindh has also decided to show its strength in the province, particularly in Karachi, by organising sit-ins on major roads connecting the port city with the rest of the city. According to the leaders, the party will organise sit-ins at five points in the province to disturb the road communications.
According to its strategy for Karachi, the party has announced that districts organisations will organise a sit-in on Hub River Road in Baldia Town, blocking the road connecting Sindh with Balochistan. The location of the sit-in is the front of a branch of a Jamia Farooqia seminary on Hub River Road.
JUI-F District West chief Maulana Umer Sadiq will lead the protest and he has flown back from the Islamabad sit-in to Karachi. Sadiq is a former MPA and had served as parliamentary leader of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal in the Sindh Assembly.
However, party sources told The News on Wednesday that the party had also asked the district leadership in Karachi to prepare to block the Super Highway and National Highway at Sohrab Goth and Ghaghar Pathak respectively.
For the rest of the province, the JUI-F has chosen three major thoroughfares. Leaders and workers from Larkana, Jacobabad and neighbouring districts will block the road connecting Sindh and Balochistan in Jacobabad.
Workers from Ghotki and Shikarpur have been asked to block the Sindh-Punjab Highway at Ghotki while workers from Sukkur will block the Sukkar-Multan Highway.
The JUI-F leaders directed the workers to provide passage to ambulances during the blockades and not to hold sticks in their hands.