Protest rallies were taken out in different cities of the country on Saturday on the call given by Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) against the deaths of around 57 faithful at an Imambargah in Peshawar yesterday (Friday, March 4, 2022), reported 24NewsHD TV channel.  

Meanwhile, MWM Central Deputy Secretary-General Allama Syed Ahmed Iqbal Rizvi, while demanding a grand operation against terrorists, has said that results would have been different had the government taken concrete steps to root out terrorism. “Its Prime Minister Imran Khan’s responsibility to visit Peshawar to offer condolences to the families of the deceased persons,” he asserted.

On the other hand, Shia Ulema Council has announced a three-day of mourning over the incident of terror.    

Protest by members of the Shiite community outside the Governor House in Karachi turned violent when the protestors clashed with the police. 

However, police action failed to deter those who removed the barricades placed on roads to reach right in front of the Governor House. 

Earlier, workers of MWM, Shia Ulema Council and ISO took out a rally from Numaish Chowrangi and after passing through different routes congregated in front of the Governor House where they lost their temper and not only thrashed the policemen but also journalists covering the event. 

On seeing the situation getting out of control, leaders of the community ended the protest to avoid any bloodshed.  

In Wazirabad, Punjab, members of MWM, Shia Ulema Council and Shia Joint Action Committee held a protest demonstration.   

Addressing the protestors on the occasion, Allama Zaheer Zeeshan, Allama Sada Hussain, Mushtaq Jaffery and Muntazir Naqvi said that there was a bloodbath in Peshawar yesterday. Extermination of the Shiite community was being carried out in an organized and a systematic manner, they opined, and questioned the government’s ‘silence’. 

They said those attacking the places of worship were worse than beasts.  

The protestors warned that they would block the entire country on the orders of their leaders. 

They further said that those who had opposed the creation of Pakistan were now killing those who had founded it. 

Meanwhile, the number of people of Parachinar who had lost their lives in the terror incident in Peshawar has risen to 11.  

All markets, shopping centers and educational institutions remained closed in the city and adjoining areas, where there is a sizeable Shia population, to mourn the deaths of their loved ones.    As many as 57 people, including an imam and two policemen, were martyred and 195 others sustained injuries in a gun-and-bomb attack on a Shia mosque during Jumma congregation in Kucha Risaldar area of Peshawar on Friday.                                              

Reporters: Shahzeb Hassan and Javed Hussain