KARACHI: Alamgir Khan, who runs a social media campaign called ‘Fix it’ by spray-painting political graffiti and portraits of the Sindh chief minister on roads near open manholes, was arrested on Thursday after he entered the high-security red zone in an attempt to reach CM House on a tractor trolly filled with garbage.

The arrest prompted protests by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Imran Ismail and his supporters who staged a sit-in on the main Aiwan-i-Saddar Road leading to Governor House, which caused traffic jams on major roads including Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, I.I. Chundrigar Road and Sharea Faisal.

“The police arrested Alamgir Khan along with his driver at the PIDC intersection and impounded the tractor trolly containing garbage bins, as they blocked road traffic in the red zone to lodge a protest,” said Frere DSP Zawar Husain.

The road leading to Chief Minister House was already closed to public transport.

Before being caught by the police, Mr Khan told the media that he brought the tractor trolly filled with garbage to that place so that the authorities inhaled its foul smell and fell sick and then empathise with the citizens who faced such a situation on a daily basis.

Frere DSP Zawar Husain said Civil Lines SHO Waqar Ahmed Tanoli had tried to persuade him to desist from dumping garbage on the road and blocking the traffic. But he was bent upon doing that and “he compelled us to detain him,” said the officer.

As the social media campaigner was brought to the Civil Lines police station, his many supporters led by senior PTI leader Imran Ismail also arrived there. They staged a protest demonstration outside the police station and banged on its door angrily while the police had closed the door to avert a violent clash. One of the protesters staged a sit-in on the road shouting that the authorities would not listen to them until they blocked the passage of police, according to witnesses.

Other supporters announced that they would block the main Aiwan-i-Saddar Road leading to Governor House. Later the protesters staged a sit-in on the road, causing gridlock on the adjoining roads for several hours.

Subsequently, the DSP Frere said, the police registered an FIR against Alamgir Khan and his driver, Saifullah, under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The section reads: “Whoever wrongfully restrains any person shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term, which may extend to one month, or with fine, which may extend to one thousand five hundred rupees or with both.”

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2016