KARACHI: Pakistani religio-political party Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) on Tuesday announced it would expand its sit-in protests, currently being held in Karachi in solidarity with the violence-hit Kurram district, to other parts of Sindh as law enforcers cracked down on protesters to clear the roads for traffic. 

The MWM has been leading sit-in protests at over 10 locations in Karachi since last week to protest against violence in the northwestern Kurram district. With a population of around 600,000, Kurram has been plagued by tribal and sectarian violence for decades. The region’s volatile security situation often necessitates travel in convoys escorted by security forces. However, a devastating ambush on November 21, in which gunmen killed 52 people, underscored the persistent dangers.

The attack escalated tensions in the district, resulting in violent clashes and road blockades that have severely disrupted access to essential supplies such as food, medicine, and fuel and claimed the lives of at least 136 people since November. A grand jirga— a traditional council of political and tribal elders— has been attempting to mediate between rival factions, but the unrest has spilled beyond Kurram.

“The sit-ins will continue until the issues of Parachinar are resolved,” MWM leader Allama Hasan Zafar Naqvi, referring to Kurram district’s capital city, said in a statement. “I urge people to come out of their homes. We will extend the sit-ins from Karachi to Obaro [near the border with Punjab].”

Police and Rangers personnel used tear gas to disperse protesters in Kamran Chowrangi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Abbas Town and Gulshan-e-Iqbal areas of Karachi on Tuesday morning. Angry demonstrators set tires ablaze and pelted stones at law enforcement personnel in response. 

Numerous protesters had been arrested during the crackdown, Naqvi alleged. However, a police spokesperson declined to confirm the arrests when approached for comment. 

The MWM leader accused the Sindh government of practicing “double standards,” claiming that representatives of the provincial government expressed solidarity with demonstrators while simultaneously ordering law enforcers to clear protest sites forcefully. 

“Last night, Sindh government representatives came to us and the issues [caused by road blockades] were resolved,” Naqvi said. “But this morning, peaceful sit-ins were attacked.”

Karachi police chief on Monday warned demonstrators of action if the protests continued to disrupt public life. The Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), the MWM’s rival religious group, on Monday, threatened to hold protests at 60 locations in Karachi starting Tuesday if the MWM demonstrations did not end. 

Last week, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab also criticized MWM protesters for paralyzing the city.

“If the purpose of a protest is to inconvenience people, disrupt the city’s operations, block ambulances and fire brigades, or hinder police and administrative vehicles, then such actions are inappropriate,” Wahab said. 

Meanwhile, the warring factions in Kurram are formally expected to reach a peace agreement today, Tuesday, as the grand jirga reconvenes, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spokesperson said last week.