KARACHI: Activists belonging to different Sindhi nationalist parties clashed with law enforcers on Sharea Faisal on Sunday after their rally towards the Karachi Press Club was stopped near the FTC flyover, causing injuries to many policemen, officials said.

Different groups of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mazahz (JSQM), in collaboration with some other parties, had launched a “foot march” from Sukkur to Karachi around four weeks ago.

They entered Karachi on Sunday and the participants had planned to march on the KPC via Sharea Faisal to end their rally.

On the way to the press club, the march participants clashed with police on Sharea Faisal near the Finance & Trade Centre (FTC).

Law enforcers retreat to defuse situation; protest march culminates at Karachi Press Club; terrorism case registered against JSQM leaders

Some of the protesters allegedly beat police officers. The traffic on the main artery, which links the city with the airport and National Highway, was disrupted, according to officials and witnesses.

DIG-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that around 500-600 participants of the rally, including women and children, arrived at the FTC. He said there had been an ‘understanding’ with the organisers of the rally that from the FTC they would move towards Lucky Star for their onward march on the KPC. But they violated this undertaking and started moving towards the former Regent Plaza building.

He said the policemen deployed there tried to stop them from moving further. But some of the protesters attacked the policemen with stones and sticks, resulting in injuries to the South-SSP, the SSP’s gunman, Saddar police station SHO and other policemen.

The protesters also allegedly attacked vehicles of the police and private persons.

The DIG said that since it was ‘difficult’ to push back the protesters without taking extreme action, the police allowed them to proceed towards the KPC in order to avoid further escalation.

He said they had registered an FIR against 14-15 nominated leaders of JSQM groups on charges of terrorism, etc.

Protest against canals project

The rally turned into a public meeting when it reached the Karachi Press Club, where speakers demanded an end to the controversial canals project, corporate farming, religious extremism, forced conversion of Hindu girls and ‘enforced disappearances’ of youths amid tight security.

Leaders of several Sindhi nationalist parties and civil society representatives, including Aslam Khairpuri, Niaz Kalani, Ismail Nautkani, Abdul Sattar Channa, Waheed Sindhi, Taj Joyo, Illahi Bux Bikak, Munir Haider Shah, Soriha Sindhi, Maher, and others, demanded the federal government to end the proposed six canals project on the Indus River.

They condemned religious extremism and influx of what they described as “outsiders” in Sindh.

The leaders and activists also called for ending the alleged “enforced disappearances” of political workers of Sindh and demanded their release.

The nationalist groups also sought ‘expulsion’ of law enforcers from educational institutes of Sindh so that students did not face any “humiliation”.

Some speakers said that the authorities tried to prevent their march near Gora Qabristan but they foiled the government’s attempt and succeeded in their march.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2025