A complete strike was observed in the city on Friday over the murder of Jamia Farooqia’s Maulana Adil Khan last week.
The renowned religious scholar and his driver were killed in an attack by unidentified men in city’s Shah Faisal Colony on October 10.
Businesses remained closed as the traders and businessmen in the city expressed their support for the strike. Public transport was also suspended. On the other hand, police and Sindh Rangers increased their patrolling to control over law and order situation in the city.
The call for protests was issued by the Karachi Ulema Committee (KUC). The committee also called for a ‘wheel-jam’ strike across the city, assuring that the demonstrations would be peaceful.
Shops and markets were reopened after Friday prayers. All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Chairperson Atiq Mir said it was a “peaceful strike” as the body had not received any reports of forceful closure of businesses. He added that traders “could not afford such strikes” as they had already suffered immense losses due to Covid-19 related restrictions.
Leader of the banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqi along with KUC’s acting head, Maulana Iqbalullah, Maulana Hazrat Wali, Qari Allah Dad, Mufti Hamadullah Madani, Maulana Rab Nawaz Hanafi, Maulana Mohammed Tayab among others expressed gratitude to traders and transporters who “closed their business to protest against lack of arrest of the killers of the cleric”.
The KUC members regretted the perceived lack of action from the government and demanded that law enforcement agencies pick up the pace of investigation of the case.
Farooqui, while speaking at a press conference on Thursday said that a peaceful protest was KUC’s right. He warned that if the killers were not arrested, they would be compelled to exercise other options.
