Skip to main content

Traffic hurdles persist in Karachi as sit-ins against Parachinar killings continue

As sit-ins across the country continued on Saturday against killings in Parachinar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, traffic hurdles remained for residents of Karachi, where protests entered their fifth day.

The religiopolitical Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) had given a country-wide call of protests to express solidarity with the people of Parachinar, who have also been staging a sit-in since December 20 against the law and order situation as well as road closures.

The demonstrations began after an incident where two people were killed and later decapitated after being waylaid on their way towards Parachinar in Kurram’s Bagan area.

Multiple sit-ins organised on MWM’s call continued in Karachi for the fifth consecutive day today, with the blockade of several important thoroughfares leading to a citywide traffic mess in all seven districts and causing hardship to people.

The MWM had expanded its protests to almost all of Karachi by Thursday, and by 10pm on Friday, demonstrations were being held at 12 locations across the metropolis. One more point was added to the list today, according to a statement by the Karachi Traffic Police.

The sit-ins continued on the main M. A. Jinnah Road near Numaish, Abul Hasan Ispahani Road near Abbas Town, Five Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad, University Road near Samama Shopping Centre, main Sharea Faisal near Star Gate, Korangi, main National Highway near Malir 15, Shamsuddin Azimi Road in Surjani Town, Shahrah-i-Pakistan near Ancholi, Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Nawab Siddique Ali Khan Road near Nazimabad No 1, main National Highway near Steel Town, and the Power House roundabout in North Karachi, according to officials, witnesses, and organisers.

According to an update issued by the Karachi Traffic Police on their X, the road going towards the city from the Kala Chapra road was opened for traffic, however, the road on the other side was shut.

Stemming from decades-old land disputes, deadly tribal clashes started last month in the wake of an attack on a convoy that resulted in the deaths of 52 passengers, and have claimed at least 130 lives since last month.

Residents in Kurram have reported food and medicine shortages, claiming deaths of scores of children due to it. A total of 613 individuals have so far been airlifted from the district after the KP government launched a helicopter service.

Yesterday, the traffic police had diverted vehicular traffic to alternative routes, but long queues of cars, trucks, trailers, etc, could be seen on almost every city road till late in the night.

Separately, the MWM Lahore wing — including Vice Chairman Allama Ahmad Iqbal Rizvi, Punjab President Allama Akbar Ali Kazmi, and Lahore President Najam Khan — has been holding a protest outside the Lahore Press Club since last week.

In Rawalpindi, the Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Fiqh-i-Jafariya (TNFJ) Regional Council on Friday organised a protest rally from Liaquat Bagh Chowk to Committee Chowk on Murree Road.

On the call of TNFJ head Allama Agha Syed Hussain Maqdisi, the ‘Day of Martyrs and the Oppressed’ was observed in Rawalpindi to condemn the deteriorating and extremely dire situation. Protest gatherings were held in central mosques across the country after Friday prayers.



from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/ZhGI2HN
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ministers rubbish notion that proposed retirement age extension to favour ‘one particular institution’

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday rubbished the notion that a proposed extension in the retirement age was to favour “one particular institution”, adding that the move would be implemented across the board if approved. The rebuttal comes in the wake of media reports claiming that the government was mulling changes to the Constitution to fix the tenure of the chief justice . Currently, judges of the Supreme Court, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of superannuation, i.e. 65 years, as stipulated in Article 179 of the Constitution. While giving his opinion recently on the reports of the constitutional amendment, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had said he “will not vehemently turn down the proposals related to the tenure of the chief justice”. Addressing the issue during a press conference in Islamabad today along since Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and the law minister, Attaullah said the extension in the retirement age was “a proposal to a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Republican primary race for president in 2024

The Republican primary race for president in 2024 is already shaping up to be a competitive one. There are a number of high-profile candidates who have already announced their intention to run, and more are expected to join the field in the coming months. The frontrunner for the nomination is former President Donald Trump. Trump has been teasing a 2024 run for months, and he has a large and loyal following among Republican voters. However, he is also a polarizing figure, and his candidacy could alienate some moderate Republicans. Another potential contender for the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis has been praised by many conservatives for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and his opposition to vaccine mandates. He is also seen as a rising star in the Republican Party. Other potential candidates include former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott. Pence is a more traditional Republican who could appeal to moderate vote...
1 comment
Read more

In pictures: Grief in Gaza and the loss of a child

In the photo, the woman cradles a child in her arms, balanced on her knee. It is an image that resonates, as ancient as human history. But in a grim inversion of the familiar, we see that the child she holds close is a corpse, wrapped in a shroud. It is a quiet moment of intense grief. The woman wears a headscarf and her head is bowed. We cannot see who she is nor can we learn anything about the child — not even if it is a boy or girl. Palestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embraces the body of her 5-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. The child is one of many who have lost their lives on both sides in the Israel-Hamas war. Most have names we will never know, whose deaths will spark a lifetime of grief for family members we will never meet. In the 21st century, an average of almost 20 children a day have been killed or maimed in wars around the world, according to Unicef. Reuter...
Post a Comment
Read more