The Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), a religio-political group, expanded its ongoing Karachi Protest on Thursday night, blocking major roads across the city in response to the recent killings in Parachinar. The protests, which have gained momentum throughout the week, aim to express solidarity with the families of two individuals who were killed and decapitated in the Bagan area of Kurram, while also addressing the ongoing violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram region.
Protests Disrupt Traffic and Cause Inconvenience
The Karachi Protest has significantly disrupted traffic across Karachi, as sit-ins were staged on key roads, including Sharea Faisal, National Highway in Malir-15, University Road, and more. The blocking of these major arteries has led to significant traffic congestion, causing delays for commuters and even affecting international passengers traveling to the airport. Karachi’s Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Traffic Police, Ahmed Nawaz Cheema, confirmed that several passengers missed flights due to road blockages, particularly near the airport.
To mitigate the inconvenience, traffic police deployed personnel on both day and night shifts, providing alternative routes and directing traffic where necessary. As of Thursday night, updates from Karachi Traffic Police indicated slow-moving traffic on several important roads, including Nishtar Road, Lasbela Chowk, and Albela Chowk.
MWM’s Stand on Parachinar and Continued Protests
MWM central leader Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi addressed the media on Friday, explaining that the sit-ins would continue until the protests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa came to an end. He highlighted that roads in Parachinar have been closed for over 90 days, causing shortages of essential goods and medicines. Naqvi also dismissed the notion of a “Shia-Sunni conflict” in the region, stating that the government knew who was responsible for the killings, but failed to act decisively.
He called on the government to resolve the situation in Parachinar and emphasized that the MWM’s protests would persist until their demands were met.
