Strike Against Terror Attack Disrupts Life In Pakistan Port City

Islamabad, Feb 19, IRNA – Strike against terror attack on Shiˈa Muslims in southwestern Pakistan disrupted life in port city of Karachi on Monday. The blast killed over 80 people including women and children in Quetta on Saturday. Shiˈa Ulema Council and other Shiˈa groups had called for the strike to press the government to arrest the culprits and to call for handing over Quetta to the army to maintain peace. Almost all political and religious parties had backed the strike call as a goodwill gesture. Shops and markets were reported shut in parts of Karachi and traffic was scarce. Many government and private educational institutions were also closed and the strike was also affecting the schedule of the flights and trains to and from the city. Shiˈa groups also organized protest sit-ins in different parts of Karachi to show sympathy for the bereaved families, who are also staging protest and have refused to busy the dead unless the perpetrators are arrested. The protesters and participants of the sit-ins say they would continue to demonstrate until the demands of the heirs of those killed and wounded in the bombing are not met. Meanwhile Majlis-e-Wehdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) Central Deputy Secretary General Maulana Amin Shaheedi has demanded that the army take over in Balochistan and put a stop to ongoing violence in the province. Shaheedi was speaking at a news conference in Quetta, who condemned Saturday’s deadly bombings. He asked the army to take over the region and preserve peace and put an end to these killings. He demanded the security forcesˈ plan targeted at operations on hiding places of the suicide bombers and those who are responsible for sowing the seeds for sectarian violence. He called for immediate arrest and trial of the culprits involved. He also demanded the government to allow the public to practice self defense while remaining within the constitutional limits./end