Police foil JSQM's bid to block roads - Protest against disputed water projects
Dawn Report
HYDERABAD, March 30: Police made large-scale arrests of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz activists throughout Sindh on Monday night and Tuesday to foil their plan to block roads leading to Punjab.
JSQM chief Bashir Qureshi had announced that his party activists would block the roads leading to Punjab in protest against the Greater Thal canal and Kalabagh dam projects.
Despite massive arrests, activists of the JSQM and Jeay Sindh Students' Federation tried to block highways and roads in Hyderabad, Nausharo Feroze, Larkana and Sukkur districts. However, the attempts were foiled by heavy contingents of police which resorted to tear gas shelling and arrested a large number of the protesters.
In Hyderabad, police raided JSQM media centre and picked up Nadeem Memon and Ali Hyder Shahani. Mohammad Ali Kalani, the brother of JSQM vice-chairman Dr Niaz Kalani, was also picked up from his house.
In pre-dawn raids on the houses of JSQM and JSSF activists, a large number of them was picked up from different parts of Qasimabad, Jamshoro and Kotri. They were shifted to the Hatri, Matiari and Sekhat police stations. However, no case has been registered against them so far.
The party chief told Dawn by his cell phone that 200 workers were arrested. Later, a group of JSQM and JSSF activists tried to move towards Hyderabad bypass from under construction Qasimabad- Hyderabad bypass link road. They were surrounded by police which arrested 14 of them.
Soon police picked up another batch of the activists who had arrived near the JSQM media centre from Tando Mohammad Khan in a bus. Another contingent of police arrived at Nasim Nagar Chowk and arrested around 35 activists who had come from Mirpurkhas.
There was no attendance in the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology and University of Sindh in Jamshoro as buses did not ply between city and the campuses but students in the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences had turned up.
NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: JSQM activists blocked the National Highway on two different spots in the district, from where police arrested eight activists. Another group of the activists was arrested on Naushahro Feroze-Tharushah road when they tried to block the road. Earlier police made arrests in Moro and Padidan.
DADU: Hundreds of JSSF and JSQM activists took out a protest rally here and held demonstrations outside the DPO house and on the Indus Highway near Moundar Naka and suspended traffic for an hour. The activists also held protest demonstrations in Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Jamshoro, Kotri, Bhan Saeedabad, Sehwan and Johi.
LARKANA: Police resorted to baton-charge and aerial firing and fired tear gas shells to disperse the activists who had gathered in Ratodero and Wagan. According to the JSQM, around 200 workers of the party had been arrested and many of them were tortured at police stations.
A procession broke a police barricade in Ratodero to reach the Indus Highway. When the protestors staged a sit-in on the highway, police baton-charged them and picked up about 100 activists who were taken to different police stations.
The JSQM workers pelted stones on police and vehicles. Traffic towards Punjab and Karachi remained suspended for one hour. A large number of the party activists converged at the main roundabout of Wagan. Raising slogans against the disputed water projects, they staged a sit-in and suspended vehicular traffic for one hour.
Police fired tear gas shells, resorted to aerial firing and beaten up the protesters to disperse them. Police constable Mukhtair Jagirani was also injured in the clashes. When contacted, DPO Abdul Majeed confirmed that 82 activists were arrested and FIRs registered against them with the Ratodero and Wagan police.
SUKKUR: Police arrested 50 JSQM activists when they tried to stage sit- ins on the National Highway in Ranipur, Sangi, Pano Aqil and other areas.
KHAIRPUR: Police rounded up eight activists of JSQM in Khairpur, Hingorja, Thari Mirwah and other towns.
