Protests sit-ins against Parachinar situation enter sixth day in Karachi
Obstructions from Natha Khan bridge being removed, road being cleared for vehicular movement, say police
- Karachi Traffic Police provide alternative routes for traffic.
- Demonstrations being staged at over 12 different locations.
- Main protest is being staged at city’s Numaish Chowrangi.
KARACHI: Sit-ins and protests by a religious-political party against closure of routes and deadly tension in Parachinar, District Kurram, continues to paralyse various parts of Karachi for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday, with no immediate relief in sight for commuters.
Travelling has become a nightmare for a number of citizens as traffic gets clogged at different points and the commuters have to take a diversion which further aggravates the traffic situation on other arteries as well.
The protest demonstrations are being staged at more than 12 different locations, including main arteries.
The demonstrations are being staged at Numaish Chowrangi, at Natha Khan bridge on Sharea Faisal, before KDA flats in Surjani Town, Golimar, Power House Chowrangi, near Safari Park on University Road, Korangi No 2 ½, Five Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad, Abul Hassan Isphani road, Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and other areas.
Karachi Traffic Police said alternative routes were provided for traffic in the megalopolis. The police also said obstructions from Natha Khan bridge were being removed and the road was being cleared for vehicular movement.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Saturday slammed continuous blockades of roads in Karachi “under the guise of protest”, saying it was an inappropriate act.
The mayor also rebuked the protestors for damaging newly-constructed roads. “Who allowed them to damage the roads constructed recently in New Karachi,” he said, while speaking to reporters.
Murtaza said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should resolve the issue of Parachinar. However, he added, blocking arteries would not serve the purpose.
“I apprised [Sindh Minister] Nasir Hussain Shah about the matter of road closures and he is working on it. Hopefully, the issue will be resolved today as talks with the protestors are underway,” he said.
He lamented that if anything happened anywhere in the country, demonstrations are staged and roads are closed in Karachi.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah appealed to the demonstrators to avoid causing hardship for the public, saying: “Blocking roads in Karachi and Sukkur will not resolve the Parachinar issue.”
The protests stem from the deteriorating security situation in Parachinar, where clashes have resulted in over 130 fatalities since November, the point of recent escalation of conflict between two tribal groups.
Reports also suggest over 100 children have died due to a medicine shortage, although KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif has denied these claims.
Parachinar, located in Kurram, is a tribal district near the Afghan border with a population of around 600,000. It has long been a hotspot for conflict.
Recent clashes have triggered a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of medicine and oxygen exacerbated by the closure of the highway connecting Parachinar to Peshawar.
In a relief effort, the Sindh governor’s office announced that a helicopter carrying medical supplies and other aid had reached Parachinar. These provisions were sent on the Sindh governor’s directive to address the growing crisis.
