A shutter down strike call given by the opposition political parties left the trade, commercial and social activities completely paralysed in the metropolis on Monday, while law enforcement agencies were assigned the city charge to clamp down on miscreants.
Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (PONM) and other opposition political parties had given the countrywide strike call against the May 12 mishap in Karachi.
The Sindh chief minister announced on Monday a mourning day and declared a public holiday across the province. All the offices, schools, colleges, universities, and government institutions remained closed, while there was no public transport on the roads. However, the very thin presence of private vehicles, taxis and auto-rickshaws was witnessed.
Except few violent clashes between the angry public and law enforcement agencies, no big incident was reported, and law in order situation remained under complete control of the Rangers with enhanced authority.
Sindh government also imposed section 144 to ban the protest rallies, demonstration and public gathering to avoid further violent clashes, while Rangers were directed to shoot the miscreants on the spot.
All big and small markets, petrol, and CNG pumps remained locked creating serious problems for the public. People pushing vehicles long way striving hard to get their vehicles filled with fuels but failed as petrol pumps dealers refused to provide them with fuel due to high security concerns.
Fruit, vegetables and grain markets remained closed during last three days, while supply from upcountry had also been cut off, which led to the scarcity of essential commodities in the city. Closer of market made difficult for the public to acquire food and other daily items.
A huge contingency of Rangers was deployed on all major and sensitive spots to control violence and staged flag-march across the city to dispel the prevailing fears from public mind, which had emerged on May 12.
Police and paramilitary Rangers fired tear gas at the angry mob attempted to block the RCD highway in Baldia Town to disperse them, later hurdles were removed from the highway. Angry mob also hurled stones at Rangers vehicles and resorted to aerial firing after failed to block the RCD highway, which gripped that part of the metropolis in tension and fear for quite long.
Similarly, protestors erected obstructions on Super highway near Sohrab Goth and collided with police leaving the inter-city traffic from Karachi to Hyderabad frozen. The most tensed parts of the metropolis emerged Baldia Town, Landhi, Sohrab Goth, Malir, Site, Banarus, Ali Garh colony and Lyari in the wake of May 12 bloodshed.
However, Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim claimed that peace in the city after May 12 harsh kind of violence had been retrieved. He said in a telephonic interview to a private TV channel that peace had been restored in the city, hoping that commercial and social activities would soon be in a full swing.
A spokesman of Pakistan Rangers Sindh said that in the view of special responsibility assigned to Rangers by the provincial government to restore law and order situation in the metropolis, about 120,000 officials were deployed in various parts of the city. Moreover, a contingent of 3,000 was also called from interior Sindh. He said that Rangers also made special arrangements to safeguard the industrial areas and sent doctors, paramedics to the hospitals and supplied medicine. He warned stern action against the miscreants and appealed to the citizens to corporate with the force.
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