KARACHI, Nov 12: Despite strict measures taken by the police around Regal Chowk and Empress Market areas in Saddar, activists of the Jamaat-i-Islami on Monday somehow succeeded in staging a protest against the imposition of what they called a martial law in the garb of emergency rule, violence against lawyers and journalists and suspension of the fundamental rights of the citizens.

A large number of police personnel in uniform and civvies were deployed much before the scheduled time of the rally to prevent the JI activists from staging any demonstration. About two dozen police mobile vans, two ambulances and two prisoner vans were parked at the protest venues to foil the protest.

As part of last-minute change in the strategy, the JI leaders and workers appeared at Regal Chowk instead of Empress Market and the leaders managed to address the rally and express their anger against the prevailing political situation in the country.

However, the law enforcers promptly whisked the politicians away in police mobiles. The police had reportedly arrested over a dozen JI activists including the newly installed chief of the party’s Karachi chapter, Mohammad Hussain Mehanti, former MPAs Nasrullah Khan Shaji and Hameedullah Khan Advocate, Mohammad Iqbal and Rafique Khan.

Before the police action, in their brief speeches the JI leaders said that the imposition of emergency was the proof of the incompetence and failure of the rulers and the nation would never accept this decision.

JI leaders said that the rulers had utterly failed in solving the genuine problems being faced by the masses. They were of the view that the problems confronting the people of this country could only be solved by a God-fearing and patriotic leadership.

“Our own people are being killed in the name of war against terrorism. The army which is supposed to guard the borders of the country has been dragged into politics. After indiscriminate bombing on unarmed citizens in Balochistan, Wana and Waziristan, a military operation has been launched in Sawat”, they said.

Severely criticising the government, they said that the rulers could not prevent people from recording their protest through the use of force and violence.