KARACHI: A protest near the Karachi Press Club (KPC) caused traffic disruptions across Saddar Town, leaving a large number of commuters stuck in long queues for several hours on Wednesday evening.
Roads near the press club were closed ahead of a planned protest by the PTI to mark three years since the imprisonment of party founder Imran Khan and demand his release.
The PTI in a statement said it staged demonstrations in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, Umerkot, Mithi and other parts of Sindh, with participants demanding Imran’s release.
In Karachi, the demonstration was led by PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh, Karachi President Raja Azhar, PTI Sindh General Secretary Dr Masroor Sial and Karachi General Secretary Arsalan Khalid. They and other party leaders led workers towards the Karachi Press Club, according to the statement.
“However, according to the party, police blocked all routes leading to the Press Club by placing containers and completely sealed the area to stop protesters from reaching the venue,” the statement read.
“PTI workers later held a peaceful demonstration near Zaibunnisa Street and Fawara Chowk in Saddar. The party alleged that police resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charge against peaceful protesters, leaving several workers injured,” it added.
The PTI alleged that the police arrested more than ten workers in the metropolis, including Sial. The party further claimed that six PTI workers were arrested in Pano Aqil and fifteen workers in Kandhkot, with cases also registered against them.
Addressing the protesters, Sheikh demanded the immediate release of Dr Masroor Sial and all detained workers in Karachi, Pano Aqil and Kandhkot, while Raza Azhar said the PTI “formally submitted an application seeking permission for the peaceful protest, yet police still resorted to unlawful use of force”.
Sheikh also took to X and said that the route to the KPC had been blocked by containers, slamming the PPP government for sealing off the area.
“The Karachi Press Club is neither a Red Zone nor a sensitive security area, yet the PPP government has blocked public access and trampled the constitutional right to peaceful assembly,” he wrote.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the congestion and issued strict instructions to the Sindh inspector general and the Karachi additional inspector general to restore traffic flow.
“Traffic should be cleared from Sadar, Old City Area, MA Jinnah Road and Zainab Market immediately,” he was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. “Additional traffic police personnel should be deployed on the roads and a report should be submitted.”
He further ordered that queues of cars on Napier Road, Regal Chowk and Bolton Market should also be cleared.
