Police clashed with protesters outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Sunday for violating Section 144, according to *Dawn*. The protest, titled the Sindh Rawadari March, involved human rights defenders, trade unions, and feminist movements. However, as footage of the protest surfaced online, it showed police using baton charges to disperse the demonstrators, including women, leading to violent 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, which was later revealed to be staged, as acknowledged by Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar. The protest also aimed to highlight concerns about growing extremism in the province.
Since the demonstration violated Section 144, which restricts gatherings of four or more people in certain areas, police responded by using baton charges to break up the protesters, Dawn reported.
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Meanwhile, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) staged a counter-protest near the KPC. Police blocked their path at Teen Talwar and Capri Cinema, resulting in confrontations between TLP activists and law enforcement, Dawn noted.
KPC President Saeed Sarbazi criticized the barricading of roads around the press club, which he said 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. Karachi South Deputy Commissioner (DC) Altaf Sario visited the scene and explained that Section 144 had been imposed due to concerns over potential violence, especially with foreign dignitaries arriving in Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. Sarbazi, however, argued that the KPC, as a designated “Hyde Park,” should be exempt from such restrictions.
The situation worsened when TLP supporters clashed with police in the Red Zone near the Metropole Hotel, with some protesters alleging that the police had opened fire on them. Reports indicated that one protester was killed, and several others, including police officers, were injured in the violence. Police surgeon Summaiya Syed confirmed that a man with a bullet wound to the head had been brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Dawn reported.
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 addressing reports of a police vehicle being set on fire by protesters. He assured the public that an inquiry would be conducted into the police officers’ actions during the march, particularly regarding the violence against women. Lanjar also emphasized that efforts were underway to arrest the absconding officers involved in the death of Dr. Shahnawaz, Dawn reported.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concern over the arrests of participants in the Sindh Rawadari March, calling for their immediate release and the continuation of the protest without interference. Similarly, the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) condemned the police’s treatment of the demonstrators, stressing that freedom of movement and association are fundamental rights. They urged the state to respect and protect citizens’ rights, particularly in the case of peaceful protests, Dawn reported.
South DIG Syed Asad Raza further stated that more than 70 TLP activists had been arrested following the clashes with police near Metropole Hotel. He also mentioned that tear gas had been used to disperse the protesters and that a First Information Report (FIR) had been filed against both the TLP and civil society groups involved in the protests. Raza denied that any journalists or women had been arrested during the Sindh Rawadari March, Dawn reported.
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