Sindh Assembly red zone becomes battleground during JI sit-in

2026-02-14 - 23:56

Zubair Yaqoob Hours of clashes between police and Jamaat-e-Islami activists around the Sindh Assembly left parts of Karachi in chaos. Several protesters and officers were injured, and more than a dozen demonstrators were detained as the confrontation escalated in the Red Zone. Following the tense standoff, Jamaat-e-Islami announced it would hold protests at 10 key locations across the city, including Shahrah-e-Faisal, Super Highway, National Highway, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nursery, Landhi, and Korangi. The move came after authorities denied permission for a sit-in at the Sindh Assembly. Eyewitnesses reported stone-throwing, baton charges, and tear gas as police tried to disperse the crowds. During the unrest, a tear gas shell ignited a fire at a nearby mosque, prompting the fire brigade to intervene. Protesters reportedly attempted to seize the fire truck and doused it with water in the chaos. Authorities eventually imposed a blackout in the affected area as the situation spiraled out of control. Injuries were reported not only among protesters and police officers but also local residents. Jamaat-e-Islami leadership defended the demonstrations, citing citizens’ rights to basic services like water. “Our peaceful activists were subjected to violence and shelling,” said Karachi city chief Munim Zafar. Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, the central leader, condemned the provincial government for its crackdown on demonstrators. Provincial Interior Minister Zia Lanjhar emphasized that no march toward the Sindh Assembly would be allowed and stated that negotiations planned for Sunday afternoon had failed.