Will facilitate protesters but not allow road blockade, Sindh minister says on sit-ins in Karachi

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar said on Wednesday that the provincial government was ready to facilitate the protesters, but would not allow them to block roads.

In a press conference, the minister said they all were grieved over the situation in Parachinar, but that did not justify blocking roads in Karachi, he added.

Lanjar said the provincial government had offered the demonstrators a separate place to record their protests, but the sit-ins’ organisers rejected the offer.

He said it was not possible for the police and Rangers to sit back while protesters do anything illegal or violent.

His statement came as residents of Karachi continued to face traffic woes as protests against the recent killings in Parachinar, Kurram District, continued on Wednesday.

Crisis in restive Kurram District deepened as death toll rose to 204 with two more children dead due to inadequate essential medicines in the prevailing chilling winter.

The lack of medical care and essential facilities is being cited as the primary reason behind these deaths, confided a health official to Business Recorder on telephone.

The senior health official disclosed that a significant number of cancer patients are also among the deceased, having been unable to access quality medical treatment and necessary vaccinations.

The sit-ins in Karachi began on December 24, and expanded further, leading to traffic disruptions. Currently, sit-ins are being held with Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) protesters and Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) workers demonstrating at various points across the port city.

On Tuesday, Karachi police launched a crackdown against protests in the Numaish and Abbas Town areas to clear the roads for traffic.

Policemen fired tear gas shells at protesters as they pelted stones at the police.