KARACHI: Police on Monday booked several workers of the Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) in a terrorism case for staging a violent protest near the US consulate general in Karachi against the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrullah in an Israeli attack in Lebanon.

DIG-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the case was registered against around 150 unknown persons on behalf of the state at the Docks police station under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 324 (attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

According to the FIR, the complainant said that around 4,000-5,000 people led by four MWM leaders were moving towards the US consulate from Native Jetty. Later, four nominated leaders of ISO arrived in a vehicle and they delivered ‘provocative’ speeches after which the protesters, armed with sticks and weapons, started removing containers on Mai Kolachi Road.

The FIR stated that the protesters attacked the police with stones and sticks and resorted to firing, causing injuries to 10 policemen. A police mobile was damaged and a motorbike was torched in the violence, it added.

It said that Geo TV reporter Syed Daniyal also suffered injuries. The police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse the protesters. Due to pelting of stones, the main gate of Bahria Complex was also destroyed, it added.

However, the DIG said that no one had so far been arrested.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2024