KHAIRPUR: A partial strike was observed in Khairpur city and some other areas on Monday in response to a call given by the Sunni Action Committee (SAC) to protest the arrest of its two activists amid sectarian tension in the area.

Without disclosing their names, police said four suspects, two each from the Sunni and Shia sects, were arrested for their alleged involvement in some cases of violence. They said disclosing names of the arrested suspects might lead to a law and order situation.

It is learnt that the suspects were arrested during a search operation that began after midnight on Sunday and continued till Monday evening.

No shops, offices and commercial concerns in the city and some other areas opened in the morning but routing business activities were witnessed after a few hours when police were deployed in the sensitive areas.

Khairpur SSP Usman Ghani said religious activists tried to stage a demonstration at the Therhi bypass on the National Highway but their attempt was foiled.

The SAC has called for a complete strike across the district on Tuesday.

Sukkur

Ahl-i-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) activists took out a rally from DC Chowk and held a sit-in outside the Jacobabad Press Club on Monday against arrest of their party colleagues in Khairpur.

Local ASWJ leaders Shabbir Ahmed Banglani, Qari Ghulam Rasool Nomani, Hafiz Mohammad Yousuf Farooqi, Zamir Ahmed Banglani and others spoke to the participants.

They warned that the arrest of innocent ASWJ activists would only foment sectarian tension. They accused the Khairpur SSP of deliberately creating an atmosphere of confrontation between the two sects.