KARACHI: The overwhelming effect of the Peshawar tragedy was also felt in Karachi on Tuesday as different institutions — both public and private — cancelled their regular activities and businesses, universities postponed all Wednesday papers and the Sindh government announced a three-day mourning to express sorrow and grief at the loss of precious lives.

The Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) was the first one to react to the tragic incident when administrator Rauf Akhtar Farooqi announced that all programmes of the municipal body scheduled for the next three days, including the inauguration ceremony of the inter-district girls sports festival due to begin on Tuesday, had been cancelled.

“Although thousands of KMC school students were present at the National Sports Board ground for the inaugural ceremony, the KMC decided to cancel all the programmes after the unfortunate Peshawar tragedy,” said a KMC statement.

The University of Karachi and the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology postponed all its examinations scheduled for Wednesday and announced that new date for the papers would be announced later.

The legal fraternity also came forward when the Sindh Bar Council announced complete boycott of court proceedings across the province on Wednesday to condemn the Peshawar attack.

“The SBC condemns the tragic incident and appeals to all bar associations of Sindh to observe a complete strike and arrange condolence meetings,” the SBC meeting participants were told.

Representatives of Karachi and Malir bar associations also denounced the incident and endorsed the SBC call. A joint meeting of lawyers would be held at the office of the Sindh High Court Bar Association in this connection.

Later after sunset, a candlelit vigil was held at the Teen Talwar roundabout, which was attended by members of civil society and workers and leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, including former members of the Sindh Assembly Khurram Sher Zaman and Samar Ali Khan.

At the central police office, Sindh police IG Ghulam Haider Jamali, during a meeting held in the wake of the Peshawar incident, issued orders to senior officials to maintain record of schools in their respective areas.

“Lists of all the educational institutions at police station and district levels, which include the contact numbers of students, teachers and other staff should be revised,” said a CPO statement. “Besides, the school managements should be provided the lists of phone numbers of the relevant DIGs, SSPs, DSPs offices and mobile phone numbers of SHOs concerned, so that extra-ordinary security arrangements could be made with schools coordination.”

The Sindh government also announced three-day mourning across the province from Dec 16 to 18 with cancellation of all government functions.

The national flag will fly at half mast, said a statement issued by Chief Minister House.

“The government of Sindh condemns the gruesome act and stands with the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at this tragic moment,” said the statement.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014