Protesters take shelter at KPC

The anti-US rally participants on Friday evening sought shelter at Karachi Press Club in wounded condition, saving them from pursuing police who had just subjected them to baton charge after releasing them from lock-up, the wounded chief of Pasban said.
Pasban leader, Altaf Shakoor told Business Recorder that the police first freed the arrested leaders after keeping them in custody for nearly two hours at Artillery Police Station and then suddenly a group of personnel stormed them with baton charge, leaving them severely wounded and bleeding.
After reaching KPC, a number of police mobile vans were witnessed strolling with blaring sirens around the club. The wounded participants called for emergency relief as the condition of Usman Moazzam was very serious with right eye damaged and bleeding. Those who took protection at KPC were Usman Moazzam, Muhammad Yousuf, Altaf Shakoor, Dr Fauzia Siddiqi and Abdul Waheed Advocate. "We straight came to KPC from police lock-up as heavy contingent of police was following us after leaving us wounded at the gate of Artillery Police Station," said the injured Muhammad Yosuf.
He said "over 50 activists are still in the police custody in different police stations of the city," adding that the just freed leaders were demanding for their release when the police thronged their vehicle with violent smashes. Dr Fauzia said she was inside the vehicle after police freed her from custody along with other Pasban leaders and suddenly scores of police personnel opened arms smashing their vehicle's windscreen and hit her left arm with the swinging club.
"When the police arrested us we were far from the red-zone area," she said, adding that her 18-year-old son, Muhammad Ahmed, went missing in the pell-mell during the police torture and tear gas shelling. "He left the car when police arrested me and since then I don't know his whereabouts," she showed worries.
She became perplexed after the police stormed the protesters with tear gas shelling and water-canon assaults and "the Holy Quran dropped from her hand on the road which the police did not allow her to retrieve, despite I was crying for it," she lamented. Nearly all of them had swallowed heads and damaged arms, it was seen. Later, Usman was rushed to hospital for medical treatment.