KARACHI: A sit-in organised by the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) at the Numaish traffic intersection in protest over the killings in Parachinar continued for the second day on Wednesday.

The MWM had given a country-wide call of protests to express solidarity with the people of Parachinar who were also staging a sit-in for the past six days.

Both tracks of the main M.A. Jinnah Road, at Numaish, were closed as a camp was set up there to accommodate a large number of protesters including women and children.

The traffic police diverted the vehicular traffic to alternative routes.

The sit-in saw the participation of leaders from various political and religious parties, as well as social figures.

Speaking on the occasion, Allama Shahenshah Naqvi said that the government had failed to establish peace in Kurram.

He criticised the federal and provincial governments, as well as security agencies, for only making promises without taking concrete steps to restore peace in Parachinar.

In the past, anti-state elements had declared their intention to turn Parachinar into a Gaza-like region, and now they are proving it, he said, adding that innocent children were dying there and the rest of the country was witnessing a situation similar to that of Gaza.

He said the blockade of roads caused severe hardships for the district’s residents, and this situation was escalating into a humanitarian crisis.

Declaring that there was no sectarianism in Parachinar, he said the country’s internal and external enemies were involved in conspiracies.

Allama Hassan Zafar Naqvi, Allama Mukhtar Imami, Sheikh Sadiq Jafari and others also addressed the sit-in.

Meanwhile, a similar sit-in was also organised on Abul Hasan Ispahani Road near Abbas Town.

The traffic police said that the protesters blocked both tracks of the road causing a traffic mess. Vehicles stuck in the jam were diverted to alternative routes, they added.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2024