Police and protesters clashed on Sunday outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) for violating Section 144 when they demonstrated against the killing of blasphemy suspect Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar and “extremism in Sindh”.
Organised as the “Sindh Rawadari March”, the protesters had gathered outside the press club to condemn the “extrajudicial” killing of Dr Shahnawaz, who had been accused of sharing blasphemous posts on social media and was shot dead under mysterious circumstances during a gun battle with the police in Mirpurkhas on September 19. Following an inquiry into the killing, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar acknowledged that the police had “staged the encounter”. The Sindh Rawadari March included progressive voices from across the Sindh province including human rights defenders, trade unions and feminist movements. Today, TV and social media footage showed police performing baton charges on the demonstrators outside the KPC, including women.
South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told media persons outside the KPC that “20 people have been detained so far, including rights activist and PTI leader Ali Palh, Soorath Thebo, and others.”
The police had closed all routes leading to the press club with containers and buses, and even reporters and camera persons were not allowed entry.
On the other hand, Karachi South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Altaf Sario visited the KPC, where Sarbazi informed him that Section 144 did not apply to the KPC as it has been declared a “Hyde Park” venue, where there was no ban on protests.
The DC contended that Section 144 was imposed due to the risk of riots and violence not only in Karachi, but other parts of Sindh.
According to Sarbazi, the DC added that this was happening at a time when foreign dignitaries were arriving in Islamabad and “such situations might create a bad image for the country”. Foreign delegations are in the capital for the Shanghai Cooperation Summit hosted by Pakistan.
Meanwhile, witnesses and organisers of the march said that the police had been deployed on Sharea Faisal near the Finance & Trade Center (FTC), on main Korangi Road near Qayumabad, Toll Plaza on Superhighway, and other areas where people were being stopped and prevented from protesting.
