KARACHI: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) called off its protest on Thursday after being assured by the Sindh government that the party would be consulted on legislation for the registration of seminaries and the mastermind behind its leader murder would be arrested.

Hundreds of JUI-F workers rallied from Numaish traffic intersection to M.A. Jinnah Road and staged a sit-in near Tibet Centre when they were not allowed to march on CM House where the party had originally planned to stage a demonstration. The marchers demanded arrest of the mastermind behind Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro’s murder and revision of a proposed plan for the registration of the seminaries.

“We were assured by the Sindh government time and again that the murder case would be tried in a military court and the mastermind of the murder would be arrested at any cost,” said the JUI-F’s general secretary and elder son of slain leader Rashid Mahmood Soomro while addressing the protesters.

“But it never happened. The people who were arrested were just paid to kill Dr Soomro. The mastermind and planners are still free and till their arrest justice cannot be served. Similarly, when the government was in process to draft the law for the registration of seminaries we were assured that it would not be done without the consent of clerics and seminaries. That also turned out a lie. Now we are left with no other option but to lodge protest.”

A couple of hours later the adviser to the chief minister on law Murtaza Wahab arrived to meet the JUI-F leaders and held talks. An hour-long discussion between two sides finally led to an announcement to call off the protest that had paralysed the traffic system in Karachi South district. Mr Wahab assured the leaders that the Sindh government would take party’s input before giving a nod to the seminaries registration law and also ensure the arrest of the mastermind behind Dr Soomro’s murder.

The protest created gridlock on the thoroughfare and connecting roads, as vehicles remained stuck in traffic jam for hours on Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, Club Road, I. I. Chundrigarh Road, M. R. Kayani Road, Rafiqi Shaheed Road, Sarwar Shaheed Road, Court Road, Fatima Jinnah Road, Old Outram Road, Hasrat Mohani Road, Wood Street, Shahrah-i-Kamal Ataturk, Burns Road, Belassis Street, Shahrah-i-Liaquat and Nicol Road.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2016