THATTA: Activists of various nationalist groups on Thursday held protest demonstrations in different towns of Thatta and Sujawal districts against alleged detention of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz-Arisar (JSQM-A) chairman Aslam Khairpuri.

The protesters claimed that Mr Khairpuri was whisked away by a team of Thatta police while he was returning to Mirpur Bathoro late on Wednesday evening after attending the 6th death anniversary of Shafi Karnani, a senior JSQM-A leader. They said the police party riding five vans intercepted the vehicle carrying Mr Khairpuri along Thatta-Sujawal road and took him to some undisclosed destination.

Enraged protesters blocked the main Sujawal-Mirpur Bathoro road with barricades causing suspension of vehicular traffic on it for several hours. They kept raising slogans against police and demanded immediate release of Mr Khairpuri.

Heads and senior leaders of various nationalist groups, besides a large number of activists and supporters, had earlier attended Mr Karnani’s death anniversary programme held at his residence, Karnani House, situated in Saleh Mohammad Karnani village.

According to JSQM sources, police had also tried to pick up its senior leader, Dr Niaz Kalani, but faced a stiff resistance from the workers accompanying him and were forced to turn away.

Later, speaking to local reporters and party colleagues, Dr Kalani deplored that state institutions and law-enforcement agencies were being used to suppress JSQM and other nationalist groups. He said that the Wednesday night police action was unjustifiable as no one at the programme had taken the law into his own hands.

“This action against us was aimed at stopping us from attending the death anniversary event of JSQM founder chairman Bashir Khan Qureshi,” he claimed.

Mr Qureshi had died under mysterious circumstances in Sakrand town of Shaheed Benazirabad district on April 7, 2012 and JSQM had reportedly planned to observe his 10th death anniversary on Thursday.

Sources said that the Thatta police had moved into action to arrest a number of nationalist leaders and activists nominated in an FIR registered at the city’s police station under sections 124-A, 147, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and sections 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorisim Act.

The nominated suspects included Aslam Khairpuri, Shabir Jamali, Nawaz Khan Zaunr, Haji Anwar Karnani, Faqeer Abdul Razzaq Unnar, Jam Sanghar and Inam Sindhi along with 11 unknown persons.

Mr Khairpuri’s family told local reporters on Thursday evening that neither his whereabouts were known to them since his alleged arrest nor was he produced in any court of law in the day which was a flagrant violation of relevant laws.

Meanwhile, police were continuing to conduct raids at different places to arrest the nominated suspects. When local reporters contacted the Thatta SSP for his version, he avoided to make any comment on the alleged arrest and crackdown.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2022