ATC grants bail to 30 JI workers in Karachi

KARACHI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi has granted bail to 30 workers of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) against surety bonds of Rs30,000 each.

The court heard bail applications filed by JI workers in connection with a sit-in held in the red zone outside the Sindh Assembly.

The case was registered at Aram Bagh police station under the Anti-Terrorism Act, with charges including rioting, violence, interference in government duties, violation of Section 144, and other related offences.

Thirty individuals, including JI leaders and workers, were nominated in the case.

According to the FIR, around 300 to 325 party activists participated in the sit-in. It further alleged that “inflammatory speeches during the protest incited participants, leading to rioting and violence.”

Earlier last Saturday, police resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charges against JI protesters near the Sindh Assembly, resulting in the arrest of several party activists.

The situation escalated when protesters attempted to approach the Assembly building by removing barricades. Police pushed the crowd back before launching a baton charge and firing tear gas shells to disperse the demonstrators.

Police also took custody of the JI sound system truck, which was later transferred to the police station.

Clashes erupted as protesters and police exchanged stones, causing injuries on both sides. Media personnel covering the protest also faced significant disruption due to the intensity of the shelling.

Earlier, JI Karachi Chief Munem Zafar Khan vowed to advance the party’s resistance movement to compel the Sindh government to “bow” to the demands of Karachi’s residents, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Announcing that the resistance movement would intensify, he said the party would hold 13 major public gatherings across Karachi during the holy month of Ramadan under the campaign slogan “Let Karachi Live.” He vowed that JI would ensure the city receives its due rights.