Unrest affects parts of Karachi after protests follow Imran’s arrest

Protesters spilled out onto the streets of Karachi soon after the news of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan broke on Tuesday. Among the agitators who took over the city’s busy thoroughfares, a number of miscreants vandalised public and private properties, and torched vehicles, including a police van. Several people were also injured, including a Sindh police DSP.

Officials said that taking action on the information received after law and order was disrupted in the city, police mobiles and reserves from the police headquarters were immediately despatched to the troubled areas, including Sharea Faisal near Nursery, Al-Asif Square in Sohrab Goth, the old Sabzi Mandi locality, University Road and Banaras Chowk at Manghopir Road.

The miscreants also pelted passing vehicles with stones. Police initially warned the demonstrators to move back and clear the roads, but they resisted and started hurling stones on the law enforcers. In some areas the miscreants also used iron rods to attack the police.

Police used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd and managed to clear Al-Asif Square, Hasan Square at University Road, and Manghopir. However, unrest persisted at Sharea Faisal, where the miscreants used stones and iron rods against law enforcers, and also attacked vehicles stranded due to the violence.

The mob also attacked a police van and set it on fire, and they attacked two buses of the Peoples Bus Service (PBS) at Sharea Faisal near Nursery as well as set fire to a Rangers checkpoint there. Later, a heavy contingent of police reached the area to control the situation by using tear gas shells, resulting in the arrest of at least 23 people for their alleged involvement in arson.

Police said the miscreants had also injured DSP Ejaz Ali (Mehmoodabad SDPO), 55, in the Tipu Sultan police limits. They said the DSP was injured with stones at Nursery, adding that he was taken to the hospital.

Police arrested PTI Sindh President and former federal minister Ali Zaidi from the Kala Pul area as well as PTI Deputy Information Secretary MPA Adeel Ahmed from Singer Chowrangi for participating in the violent protest.

The traffic police said in a statement that a political party had organised sit-ins at various places across the city, disturbing the smooth flow of traffic.

At Nursery Sharea Faisal the protest started at 3:30pm, due to which the traffic between the airport and the city and from the Baloch Colony Bridge to Mehmoodabad was diverted from Metropole to Fawara Chowk and the Zebunnisa Street.

Traffic from Korangi Road to Sharea Faisal was diverted from the Defence Signal and Boulevard. Traffic staff on other highways and roads were present to keep the traffic moving.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered the law enforcement agencies not to allow anyone to spread chaos and to damage public property in the city.

Shah directed them to ensure proper protection of public and private properties. He ordered arresting those who had torched a police van and the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board’s (KWSB) suction tanker. He said vandalism of the PBS buses and the burning of Nursery Chowk trees cannot be ignored under any circumstances.

“What is this attitude of harming the lives and properties of people under the guise of a protest? Police should take action against those who snatched peace and replaced it with anarchy in the city.”