KARACHI, July 4: Police resorted to teargas-shelling and baton-charged those who had gathered in Gulzar-i-Hijri to protest the killings in Quetta. The protesters lit bonfires and burnt a Hiace. They gathered on Abul Hasan Isphani Road after Isha prayers and raised slogans against the government for failing to provide security. They stopped a Hiace, forced its passengers to get off the vehicle, and set it on fire.

Police reached the spot and resorted to baton-charge to disperse the protesters who also pelted police with stones. Police had to lob teargas shells to disperse them. The situation remained tense in the area till our going to press.

Another vehicle was set ablaze on Rashid Minhas Road by some people. They intercepted Data Coach (PE-5478) and set it on fire.

Police reached the spot and called out the fire brigade to extinguish the fire.

Meanwhile, Governor Ishratul Ibad on Friday night presided over a high-level meeting to review law and order in the province in the wake of Quetta carnage.

The meeting, held at Governor House and attended by Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar and ulema from different schools of thought, condemned the carnage and violence. It called upon people to foil enemies’ nefarious designs to create a rift among different segments of society and pit brothers against brothers.

Soon after the Quetta tragedy, police in Karachi were put on a ‘red alert’ as all senior officials were directed to field their staff and remain present on duty. They were asked to monitor law and order in their respective areas and keep any eye on unscrupulous elements, said DIG operations Tariq Jamil.

He told Dawn over telephone on Friday that all the available police strength had been called on emergency to meet any eventuality in case of any backlash. “We will remain on a high alert for an indefinite period and will take every possible step to suppress any possible terrorist attempt,” he said, adding that the rangers would help police maintain law and order.

He said police personnel had been deployed at all religious institutions, seminaries, mosques and imambargahs and patrolling around the mosques and imambargahs was also intensified. He said police had started snap checking at various points. According to a police survey there are 3,113 mosques and 229 imambargahs in the city where security has been provided.

The DIG operations said that special police pickets had been set up at many points in the city, especially in sensitive areas, and the police stations had been directed to increase patrolling using vans and motorcycles in their respective areas and keep a constant vigil on suspicious elements. He said the station house officers and DSPs had been directed to remain on duty round the clock, and not to leave their offices. He added that police force had also been deployed on the rooftops of several buildings in the city.

Nine people died on February 22 in the city when unidentified motorcyclists sprayed the worshippers with bullets at imambargah Muntazirul Mehdi in Al-Falah Society.