Following the tragic incident at Masjid Al-Kubra in Islamabad, members of the Shia community launched a series of protests across different parts of Karachi, expressing anger and grief over the tragedy. The main protest demonstration was held at Numaish Chowrangi, while additional protests were underway at three other key locations across the city.
Meanwhile, the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM)announced three days’ of mourning over the tragic incident. In a statement, the MWM said protest demonstrations were being organized at various locations in Karachi to condemn the incident and demand justice.
According to party officials, demonstrations at Numaish Chowrangi and other major areas of the city were continuing, with protesters chanting slogans and calling for accountability over the incident.
Besides the Numaish Chowrangi protest, a rally from Malir Jafar Tayyar reached Malir 15, where participants held a sit-in protest. Simultaneously, protests were also taking place near Abbas Town on Abul Hassan Ispahani Road and at the Ancholi area on Sharae Pakistan.
The demonstrations caused significant difficulties for commuters, leading to traffic congestion at several protest sites. Traffic police were deployed to these locations to manage the situation and implement diversions in an effort to control the deteriorating traffic conditions.
MWM central, provincial and Karachi divisional leaders, including Allama Baqar Abbas Zaidi, Allama Hayat Abbas Najafi, Allama Sadiq Jafri and Allama Mukhtar Imami, strongly condemned the terrorist attack on innocent worshippers, terming it a cowardly act by anti-state elements.
Addressing a Friday gathering at Imambargah Khadijat-ul-Kubra in Islamabad after the incident and later speaking to participants of a protest rally at Numaish Chowrangi, the leaders announced three days of mourning over the tragic incident. They stated that terrorism aims to sabotage peace and stability in Pakistan and to fuel sectarian hatred.
Targeting unarmed and innocent worshippers, they said, is a blatant crime against humanity and deserves the strongest condemnation. The leaders expressed deep grief and sorrow over the incident and warned that peace cannot be established without the complete elimination of takfiri terrorists. They noted that networks of the Taliban and banned outfits are strengthening in various parts of the country, while repeated incidents of terrorism are creating an atmosphere of fear and despair among the public.
They emphasized that places of worship are symbols of peace, and attacks on them are equivalent to attacks on the entire society. The leaders demanded that the government immediately arrest the terrorists and their facilitators and ensure exemplary punishment. They added that continuous security failures have raised serious questions about the protection of citizens’ lives and property.
They called upon the federal government and law enforcement agencies to take stricter security measures at religious sites to prevent such incidents in the future. The leaders also expressed condolences to the families of the martyrs, prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured, and reaffirmed the nation’s unity against terrorism, vowing that anti-peace forces would not be allowed to succeed under any circumstances.
