Running battles in Karachi as police clear protest blockades

Police have initiated action to dismantle protests that began last week, which had caused significant disruptions on major roads in Karachi, Pakistan's commercial hub.

Running battles unfolded in Abbas Town on Tuesday as police fired tear gas shells while protesters retaliated with stone pelting.

Reports indicate that protests have ended at various locations, including KDA Flats in Surjani Town, Five Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad, and Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

Traffic police confirmed that key routes such as Nawab Siddique Ali Khan Road, Nazimabad No. 1 and 2 roundabouts, Shahrah-e-Pakistan at Ayesha Manzil, Ancholi, and Sohrab Goth have been reopened for traffic.

Sit-ins continue at the M.A.Jinnah Road, Kamran Chowrangi and University Road, according to the latest updates.

MWM condemns police action

Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), the organizers of the protests, condemned the disproportionate police action.

"We strongly condemn the police brutality in Karachi against the sit-ins held in solidarity with the oppressed people of Parachinar," said an MWM spokesman in a statement.

The spokesman also criticized the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the ruling party in Sindh province, whose capital is Karachi, for neglecting the plight of the people of Parachinar for several weeks while resorting to baton-charging peaceful protesters.

Thousands of protesters staged demonstrations across Pakistan on Friday demanding immediate action to end a 79-day blockade that has cut off over 400,000 residents of the country's remote northwestern Kurram district.

At least 31 children have died amid severe medicine shortages.

Sectarian strife

Kurram district, straddling the border with Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia communities, but tensions escalated dramatically in recent weeks.

In late November, gunmen killed 43 Shia Muslims traveling from Kurram's main city Parachinar to Peshawar, triggering retaliatory violence between Shia and Sunni communities that has left at least 153 dead and displaced hundreds of families.

The ensuing blockade has paralyzed life in more than 100 villages, creating severe shortages of food, medicine, and other essential supplies.

Local leaders say the area has effectively been under siege since the violence erupted, with its main highway to Peshawar, the provincial capital, remaining closed.