Quetta bombing: Countrywide protests enter third day

Source : The Express Tribune

Families of the Quetta blast victims continued their sit-in for the third day in Hazara Town and Alamdar Road on Tuesday, refusing to bury their loved ones, Express News reported.

To express solidarity with the Shia Hazaras in Quetta, several protests and sits-in across the country also continued after the government failed to fulfill the demands of the Hazara community.

In Lahore, many roads were blocked, including the GT Road and motorway interchanges, causing inconvenience to transporters. A sit-in was also being held at Shahdara Chowk.

The Majlis-e-Wehdat-e-Muslameen (MWM) members continued their sit-in outside Governor House in Lahore, demanding those involved in the blast to be arrested.

Streets in Karachi also remained deserted while private schools were closed. Several areas, including Ancholi and Ayesha Manzil, were blocked as protesters burnt tyres. Shia Ulema Council and MWM in Karachi said that they would continue with their sits-in till their demands are met.

Awami National Party’s (ANP) Ameer Nawab and Bashir Jaan came to the sit-in in Karachi to express solidarity with the protesters.

In Patel Para protesters opened fire at the police after the funeral was held for one of the four people killed in last night’s firing in the area. The police resorted to aerial gunfire and shelling to disperse the protesters.

On February 16, a massive bomb ripped though a busy market in a Shia Hazara neighbourhood of Quetta, killing more than 80 people and injuring nearly 200.