400 Booked Under Terrorism Charges After Sindh Culture Day Rally Turns Violent

KARACHI: Police have registered an anti-terrorism case against at least 400 people after a Sindh Culture Day rally in Karachi turned violent on Sunday, prompting the use of tear gas, arrests, and widespread disruption on one of the city’s busiest arteries.

According to officials, the FIR was lodged under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code as well as Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act after participants of a motorcycle and vehicle rally attempted to move towards the Red Zone via Shahrah-e-Faisal despite Section 144 being in effect across Sindh.

Police said 45 individuals were detained at the scene, out of which 12 were later released. Officers alleged that the crowd attacked law-enforcement personnel, leading to baton charge and tear gas shelling.

The FIR stated that 12 suspects were arrested on the spot, while 300 to 400 others remain unidentified. Charges include rioting, unlawful assembly, attempted murder, obstruction of public servants, and causing damage to property.

Inspector Abdul Majeed Abro, the complainant, said he was deployed near the FTC flyover around 2:30pm when the rally of several hundred people refused police directions and allegedly blocked the thoroughfare, pelted officers with stones, and fired shots in the air. A rescue ambulance and a police mobile were also reportedly damaged, while some participants raised “anti-state slogans”.

Read More: Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb takes oath as SC judge

DIG South Syed Asad Raza said police had instructed the crowd to move towards Saddar and the Karachi Press Club via Lines Area, but participants insisted on proceeding through Shahrah-e-Faisal. When stopped, they allegedly attacked officers, injuring five.

He said several rallies — estimated to be 10 to 12 in number — converged from different parts of the city, with nearly 17,000 to 18,000 people ultimately reaching Fawara Chowk near KPC for the day’s cultural festivities.

Sindh Culture Day, first marked in 2009, is observed annually on the first Sunday of December with cultural shows, folk music, literary events and rallies celebrating Sindhi heritage.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar took notice of the violence and ordered immediate action against those involved.