Slain ST leaders laid to rest amid tight security: Jamaat Ahle Sunnat calls for strike today

The slained leaders of Sunni Tehrik, Abbas Qadri, Iftikhar Bhatti, Akram Qadri and Dr Abdul Qadeer, were laid to rest here, on Thursday. Thousands of party activists, religious scholars and political leaders, including Saleem Zia of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Nisar Khuhro of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Allama Shah Turabul Haq, attended the funeral prayers held at the M.A. Jinnah Road after Maghrib prayers.
Jamaat Ahle Sunnat has called for a countrywide strike on Friday. Renowned religious scholar and Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Muneebur Rehman led the funeral prayers amid tight security.
Abbas Qadri, Iftikhar Bhatti and Dr Abdul Qadeer were laid to rest in the courtyard of the Jama Masjid-e-Qasaban adjacent to the shrine of Alam Shah Bukhari and first Muslim Governor Sir Hidayatullah.
While the body of Akram Qadri was taken to New Karachi where he was laid to rest at the courtyard of Raza Academy located in Sector G-11. Meanwhile, a worker of Sunni Tehrik, Imran, was laid to rest in Sher Shah graveyard.
Before funeral prayers, Mufti Muneebur Rehman made a brief address based on a Quranic Verse and said that Allah Almighty is with those who exercise patience and peace.
He advised the people to exercise patience and maintain peace and discipline.
Earlier, the funerals of Abbas Qadri, Iftikhar Bhatti, Akram Qadri and Dr Qadeer Abbasi were taken out from their respective residences. Before the start of the funeral processions, thousands of people queued up to catch a glimpse of their beloved leaders who were martyred in the Tuesday's carnage.
Their bodies were accompanied by thousands of workers when these were being brought to the M.A. Jinnah Road. Thousands of people reached M.A. Jinnah Road from various parts of the city in processions chanting slogans of Allah-o-Akbar, Sunni Tehrik and Nizam-e-Mustafa.
The people coming to attend the funeral prayers were being physically searched by plain cloth police as well as Sunni Tehrik volunteers. Strict security arrangements were made with the deployment of police and Rangers in full strength. The M.A. Jinnah Road was sealed on both the sides right from Nishtar Park up to Mereweather Tower.
The provincial government had taken strict security measures and heavy contingents of police and Rangers were deployed at different sensitive places. The entire city observed mourning for the second consecutive day of the three-day mourning announced by the Sindh government. All the main markets, bazaars and commercial centres remained closed.
Earlier, angry youths wielding sticks torched various buses and a car. They burnt tyres in the streets and forced shops in the city to close. Most petrol pumps also remained shut.
Angry protestors set on fire a contract bus parked near Shell petrol pump in Khokhrapar No 1. Motorcycle riders also set ablaze a Suzuki FX car, which was parked in a garage at Bohra Pir near Civil Hospital. In the morning, the protestors burnt tyres in Manzoor Colony, Baloch Colony, Expressway and University Road.
Meanwhile, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) while supporting the countrywide strike call demanded of the federal government to directly supervise the investigations.
In a statement issued here, JUP President Professor Shah Faridul Haq announced his party's complete support to the strike call and appealed to the people to observe peaceful strike on Friday.
On Thursday night, Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui directed the Capital City Police Karachi to ensure opening of petrol pumps in the city to resolve the problems being faced by the people due to unavailability of fuel.