Although shops opened in the first half of the day and people bought grocery items, angry youths forced shopkeepers to pull their shutters down. Youths in groups pelted public and private property with stones and raised slogans against government action in Balochistan.
Despite the fact that the police and paramilitary troops were deployed heavily, youths at various places gathered to shout slogans and disrupt law and order situation.
They pelted the law enforcers with stones and in turn the police lobbed teargas shells at Chakiwara Chowk, Aath Chowk, Mira Naka, Sheedi Village Road, and Abdul Latif Bhittai Road.
The hide-and-seek between protesters and law enforcers continued almost all the day resulting in suspension of public and private transport in the localities of Lyari and closure of all educational institutions.
Some clashes between police and enraged protesters took place at few places but no one was reported hurt. However, a sub-inspector Khalid Jamil, who had been shot and wounded during an exchange of fire between police and protesters in Pak Colony on Monday, died at a private hospital here on Wednesday.
After sunset, youth in groups in various localities distributed pamphlets urging residents to support the protest call and observe a strike on Friday.
A major group of transporters – Karachi Transport Ittehad – in their meeting here decided to close their business on Friday in view of the strike call.
Chief of the KTI Irshad Bokhari said the transporters continued to ply public transport during previous strikes on the assurance of protection by the government but they had suffered losses as many vehicles were burned and many others were partially damaged during violence. The government did not compensate the transporters and in view of the government’s attitude, it was decided that the transporters would take their vehicles off road on Friday, he added.
However, the Karachi Goods’ Carrier Association would hold a meeting on Thursday to devise a course of action for a strike call.
Chief of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance Sindh expressed his support to the strike call given by the all opposition parties and urged his community to express solidarity with the people of the country to observe a complete strike.
He condemned the government’s action and said that his community was with the Baloch brethren in this trying moment.
Intercity bus service to Balochistan could not be resumed on Wednesday. The service was suspended on Sunday following the death of Akbar Bugti. People in Karachi and factory workers could not proceed to their workplaces in Hub and other areas due to non-availability of transport.
The uncertain law and order situation in Lyari and other Baloch-dominated localities has created fear among residents who remained confined to their homes.
The violence, which had sparked on Sunday in various localities here in the metropolis died down on Wednesday but the law and order situation remained tense in Lyari where police used teargas shells and baton-charged the agitating people.