Karachi [Pakistan], October 14 : Police clashed with protesters outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Sunday for violating Section 144, Dawn reported.
The protest, titled Sindh Rawadari March, included human rights defenders, trade unions, and feminist movements. However, as footage of the protest circulated online, police were seen using baton charges to disperse the demonstrators, including women, leading to heated clashes outside the KPC, Dawn reported.
The demonstrators were protesting the "extrajudicial" killing of Dr Shahnawaz, who was accused of sharing blasphemous posts on social media and was killed in a controversial police encounter on September 19 in Mirpurkhas.
He was shot dead in a police encounter in Mirpurkhas on September 19. An inquiry into the incident later revealed that the police had "staged the encounter," a fact acknowledged by Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar.
The march also highlighted concerns about rising extremism in the province.
The demonstration violated Section 144, a legal restriction that prohibits gatherings of four or more people in certain areas for a limited period. As a result, police used baton charges to disperse the protesters, including women, outside the KPC, Dawn reported.
Meanwhile, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) staged a counter-protest near the KPC. Police blocked their path at Teen Talwar and Capri Cinema, which led to confrontations between TLP activists and law enforcement, Dawn reported.
Saeed Sarbazi, the KPC President, criticized the barricading of roads around the press club, which obstructed journalists from reaching the protest site.
South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza confirmed that protesters from both the Sindh Rawadari March and the TLP counter-protest had been arrested. The Karachi South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Altaf Sario visited the site and stated that Section 144 had been imposed due to concerns over potential violence, especially in light of foreign dignitaries arriving in Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. Sarbazi, however, asserted that the KPC, being a designated "Hyde Park," was exempt from such restrictions.
The situation escalated further when TLP supporters clashed with police in the Red Zone near the Metropole Hotel, with some protesters alleging that police had fired on them. Reports indicated that one protester was killed and several others, including police personnel, were injured in the violence. Police surgeon Summaiya Syed confirmed that a man with a bullet wound in his head was brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, as per the report by Dawn.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar condemned the violence, noting that Section 144 was enforced to prevent clashes between the two groups.
"The law was violated by demonstrators... people were detained, and policemen were tortured by the protesters," Lanjar said, also commenting on the police vehicle set on fire by protesters. He assured that an inquiry would be held into the actions of police officers involved in the violence against women during the march. Lanjar also emphasised that police were taking steps to arrest the absconding officers involved in the death of Shahnawaz, Dawn reported.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) raised concerns over the arrests of participants in the Sindh Rawadari March, calling for their immediate release and for the protest to continue unhindered.
Similarly, the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) condemned the police treatment of protesters, stating that freedom of movement and association are fundamental rights. They urged the state to respect and protect citizens' rights, especially in such cases of peaceful protests, Dawn reported.
South DIG Syed Asad Raza added that over 70 TLP activists had been arrested following their clashes with police near Metropole Hotel.
He also mentioned that police had used tear gas to disperse the protesters and had filed a first information report (FIR) against both the TLP and civil society groups involved in the protests. The DIG denied that any journalists or women had been arrested during the Sindh Rawadari March, as reported by Dawn.
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