Karachi’s Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Javed Alam Odho did not mean to end protest sit-ins for Parachinar in the city, the police spokesperson clarified on Monday.

“Linking the news to the termination of protests is unfounded and a misunderstanding,” the spokespersons said in a statement while reacting to the reports. He clarified that the police chief’s order to end the sit-ins has been “misrepresented” on social media.

The sit-ins, which have persisted for a week, have blocked major thoroughfares in response to the recent killings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Parachinar. Protesters have demanded the reopening of a road in the Kurram district city that has been closed for 90 days, affecting access to essential food and medicines, as reported by traffic police and organizers.

Activists and leaders from the mainstream religio-political party Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) stated that they would continue their sit-ins across Karachi after failed negotiations with police and city officials a day prior.

According to a statement from the Karachi Traffic Police spokesperson, sit-ins took place at 13 locations throughout the city. Key areas affected include MA Jinnah Road near Numaish Chowrangi, Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Jauhar Mor, Block 19-20 in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Safoora Chowrangi, Abul Hasan Ispahani Road, Five Star Chowrangi, University Road near Metro, Shamsuddin Azeemi Road in Surjani Town, Sharea Pakistan at Ancholi, Nawab Siddiqi Ali Khan Road in Nazimabad-1, Power House Chowrangi at Nagan, and Sharea Pakistan at Ayesha Manzil. Traffic has been redirected through alternative routes due to these closures.

“The police chief’s intent was not to eliminate the sit-ins but to manage them in a manner that does not disrupt traffic flow,” it said.

Clearing roads

Karachi roads would be cleared of protest sit-ins before Maghrib prayers as citizens have ‘suffered enough’ over the past three days, Karachi’s AIGP Odho said earlier in the day.

At a press conference at the Garden police headquarters, the city police chief said that authorities had instructed the police to “clear” the roads of the ongoing protests.

“It is our endeavour to clear all thoroughfares by tonight,” the police chief stated in response to questions and emphasised the urgency of the situation.

AIGP Odho said that the police plan to clear the roads by Maghrib, stating that law enforcement would act accordingly if anyone resisted.

“Our goal is to provide relief to citizens who have faced significant hardships over the past three days,” he said.

Odho added that he and the Karachi commissioner held discussions with the protest organisers’ leadership on Sunday night, during which the organisers had reportedly agreed to end the protests. The sit-in on main Sharea Faisal near Star Gate was concluded on Monday after such negotiations.

Also, read this

KP apex committee to dismantle all Kurram bunkers, collect heavy weapons

Drug shortages claim lives of 30 children in Kurram amid violence: The Guardian

Karachi faces major traffic disruptions for 7th day amid ongoing protests by MWM

In a separate development, Allama Mohammed Ahmed Ludhianvi, a leader of the Sunni Ulema Council and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, warned that he would initiate sit-ins at 60 locations in Karachi if the demonstrations are not resolved within 24 hours.

MWM leader Mubashir Hassan stated that as long as protests continue in Parachinar, demonstrations in Karachi will persist.

“If the Sindh government or police take action against the protesters, they will be held responsible for the situation,” he stated and urged the Sindh government to cease its alleged conspiracies against the Parachinar protest.