KARACHI: After two days of violent protests at Sohrab Goth on Superhighway during which two people were shot dead, several others wounded and private and public property was damaged, a semblance of normality returned to the troubled areas on Saturday.

“Violence has subsided and things are normal in Sohrab Goth,” said the city police chief, Additional Inspector General Javed Akhar Odho.

He added that all shops and bazaars had been opened. He said they used a ‘carrot-and-stick’ policy to restore peace to the area. He said they had engaged leaders and notables of two communities to restore peace.

“A few persons had instigated violence by provoking others,” he said, adding that these persons were allegedly involved in other illegal activities like land-grab and their names had been included in FIRs.

Sindhis, Pakhtuns take out joint peace rallies

Their motives would be ascertained after their arrest and interrogation, he added.

“Law and order situation is normal at Sohrab Goth,” said another officer, East-SSP Syed Abdul Rahim Sherazi. “Now things are back to normal as all shops and business are open.”

“All commercial centres are opened, traffic is normal and the situation is under control,” he added.

Peace rallies

The SSP Sherazi said like other parts of the metropolis, a peace rally was taken out by notables of both Sindhi and Pakhtun communities, which was attended by several people.

The rally started from Al-Asif Square to Jamali Pul, which was aimed at “promoting peace, harmony, peaceful co-existence and not taking law into hands”.

He said the police motivated elders/notables of both the communities who also met on Saturday for identical purpose of harmony.

The Karachi police chief said on Saturday members of both the communities, Sindhis and Pakhtuns, jointly carried out a rally in the metropolis to demonstrate unity, peace and harmony.

The peace rally titled “Sindhis-Pathans brethren” was taken out in Malir, which was attended by youths and elders of different communities living there.

The rally started from Pipri in Bin Qasim, which passing through National Highway and culminated at a local press club in Malir.

Over 60 held

Sohrab Goth SHO Zubair Nawaz said that over 60 suspects had been arrested during two days of violence i.e. on Thursday and Friday.

He added the suspects nominated in the FIR had not been arrested.

Local Government Minister Nasir Husain Shah in a statement said a conspiracy was hatched to trigger ethnic riots in Karachi and Hyderabad to sabotage forthcoming local govt elections, but the Sindh government controlled the situation.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2022