Sit-ins in solidarity with Machh victims cripple Karachi

KARACHI: Protests in solidarity with the victims of the Machh massacre continued at as many as 20 spots in Karachi Thursday morning, causing traffic jams in the port city.

According to the Karachi traffic police, the 20 locations where the sit-ins are being held include Numaish Chowrangi, Powerhouse Chowrangi, Star Gate, Malir-15, Steel Town Chowrangi, Safora, Safari Park, Abbas Town, Johar Morr, Nipa, Maskan Chowrangii, Nazimabad Chowrangi, Five Star Chowrangi, North Nazimabad, Aisha Manzil, Surjani, and North Nazimabad No.7.

Also Read: PM says will visit Quetta soon, urges Hazara protesters to bury slain miners

The protests have badly affected city life, hitting the traffic movement. While people are being advised to use alternative routes, traffic jams were witnessed in the morning rush hour with citizens scrambling to reach their workplace.

The sit-ins are likely to continue until the main protest being staged by members of the Hazara community on Quetta’s Western Bypass near Hazara Town ends. The Hazara community has been protesting since Sunday when the brutal incident took place.

The protesters have been demanding the arrest of the assailants and visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Also Read: Hazara protesters refuse to end Quetta sit-in despite Centre’s assurance

Yesterday, PM Khan, urging the Hazara community to bury the coal miners that were killed in Balochistan’s Machh, reassured the bereaved families that he will soon visit Quetta to offer condolences personally over their loss.

Taking to Twitter, the prime minister said: “I want to reassure the Hazara families who lost their loved ones in a brutal terrorist attack in Machh that I am cogniscant of their suffering & their demands.”