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Sporadic violence mars peaceful strike By A H Khanzada KARACHI: Sporadic incidents of violence were reported during Friday’s mainly peaceful strike in the provincial metropolis. Angry protesters blocked the roads by burning tyres in Sohrab Goth, Orangi Town, Liaquatabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Quaidabad. The police and the Rangers, however, brought the situation under control. They also arrested more than 60 troublemakers. The strike call was given by Pasban, the youth wing of Jama’at-e-Islami, to protest against the publication of sacrilegious caricatures in some European newspapers. A few hundred people marched from Sohrab Goth and adjoining areas towards the main city on Friday morning. The rally was intercepted near Al-Asif Square by the police, infuriating the protesters who in turn hurled cobblestones at the police and vehicular traffic. The police baton-charged and tear-gassed the rally participants to disperse them. But the protesters split into several little groups and resorted to stone pelting. They also set alight tyres near Al-Asif Square and a tense situation prevailed in the area for a few hours. The police claimed to have arrested more than 50 troublemakers from Sohrab Goth and adjoining areas. The DIG Operations Karachi, Mushtaq Shah, told The News that they had arrested about 50 people for creating law and order situation in the Sohrab Goth locality. Meanwhile, a few dozen youths gathered near Safoora Chowk in the precincts of Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station and shouted slogans against the Western countries. They stoned the vehicular traffic and burnt tyres. However, the police deployed in the area dispersed the protesters. In the Liaquatabad area a group of youth set ablaze tyres in a short strip between Firdous Market and Dak Khana Chowk. The police acted promptly and rounded up 13 troublemakers. Protesters also ran riot near Banaras Chowk in Orangi Town police limits and in a few localities of Quaidabad police station. Early on Friday morning unidentified troublemakers tried to block the roads near Ghareebabad, by torching tyres, but the law-enforcers foiled the bid. Meanwhile, the Edhi Welfare Trust claimed that six ambulances of the trust were ransacked and one of these was torched near the Al-Asif Square. Unidentified troublemakers intercepted an ambulance (EA-2191) near Afghan Basti while it was carrying a patient and set it on fire after ransacking it near Al-Asif Square, the trust said. Irate protesters also ransacked another five ambulances (EA-2212, EA-1578, EA-1572, EA-1391 and Ea1383) in the adjoining vicinities of Al-Asif Square. The News International, Pakistan Update
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