KARACHI, May 31: At least 65 youths were picked up by police on Tuesday for creating law and order situation on Rashid Minhas Road and Sharea Faisal following the funeral prayers of one of the victims of Madinatul Ilm suicide bombing. During the violence, a car (AFB-399) was set ablaze in front of Drigh Road station, Sharea Faisal. The car was reportedly returning from the airport after dropping Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Husain Ahmed there. The car belonged to JI’s Karachi chief Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, Namaz-i-Janaza of Fida Husain, the Moazan of Madinatul Ilm, was performed in Korangi. He was laid to rest in a local graveyard in Korangi.

In Garden, Namaz-i-Janaza of M.H. Raja, the head constable who died while performing his duty at the mosque, was performed. His body was later flown to his native town Rawalpindi via PIA flight.

Namaz-i-Janaza of Muhammad Ali, caretaker of the mosque, was performed at Madinatul Ilm. A large number of people attended his funeral. His body was later taken to airport in an Edhi ambulance escorted by police. The body was flown to Gilgit, the native town of Muhammad Ali, via a PIA flight.

In the meantime, some of the youths who were left at the mosque after funeral prayers came on roads and resorted to aerial firing. Traffic flow on Rashid Minhas Road and Sharea Faisal was disrupted despite presence of police.

Some armed youths opened fire at a coach. However, no one was injured in the incident. Immediately afterwards, they intercepted a new corolla in front of the Drigh Road station and set it on fire.

TPO Gulshan told Dawn that Rangers and police acted as a team and nabbed 65 youths for creating law and order situation.

A strike-like situation was witnessed throughout the day in almost all areas of the city. Attendance in educational institutions and government offices also remained thin.

Most parts of the city were in the grip of fear and panic with roads wearing a deserted look. Markets and bazaars in most of the areas, particularly in Gulshan-i-Iqbal and adjoining localities, remained closed. No public transport was available there except a few taxis, rickshaws and minibuses seen on roads.

In F.B Area, a similar situation prevailed and almost all shops were shut down. The worst situation was witnessed in Ancholi, where all commercial activity had come to stand still after the bombing incident and burning of vehicles on Monday night.

Workshops and car showrooms at New M.A. Jinnah Road and Khalid Bin Waleed Road in Jamshed Town also remained closed. Shopping malls and business plazas at Tariq Road were not opened at all. Tension also prevailed in parts of Saddar and Lyari towns as a result of Monday’s tragic incidents. Many shopkeepers kept their shutters closed in the old town areas including Kharadar, Mithadar, Khori Garden, Khadda and Juna markets.

Almost all the petrol pumps remained closed since Tuesday morning. Only a few petrol pumps, which were opened, long queues of motorists were seen.