KARACHI – Police in Sindh capital Sunday detained at least 12 protesters for marching towards Karachi’s Governor House to stage a sit-in to get their voice heard by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is on a day-long visit to the port city.
Anti-riot police baton-charged protesting employees of the Port Qasim Authority to stop them from reaching Governor House, where the premier held a one-on-one meeting with Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and discussed the ongoing development projects in the province. Both also discussed the matters related to the political situation in the province.
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Over 1,500 former officials have been staging the protest outside the Karachi Press Club for over two months against non-payment of their salaries.
As the Governor House comes under the red zone, where Section 144 has been imposed, the demonstrators were pushed back by water cannons while a large contingent of police placed blockades near Fawara Chowk to block the road leading to Governor House.
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Some protesters were injured, while others fainted, according to reports in local media.
A large contingent of police is also present outside the Governor House.
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A Pakistan Stock Exchange delegation led by PSX Chairman Sulaiman Mehdi also called on the prime minister today and discussed matters related to the economy.
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The prime minister was briefed regarding the issues faced by the stock market and brokers, Radio Pakistan reported. The premier gave assurances that necessary steps are being taken to bring stability to the market.
During the meeting, both sides agreed on the need for the government to broaden the tax base and for PSX to make better use of IT in the stock market. They also concurred on the need to put a stop to illegal transactions.
According to PTI’s official Twitter account, the prime minister also met with the city’s traders association, “who discussed with him the problems they currently face”. Finance Minister Asad Umar was also present along with other ministers during the meeting.
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The prime minister is also set to hold meetings with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders, and others. He will be briefed on and exchange ideas about ongoing development projects in the province, the problems faced by the business community, anti-encroachment drive in the metropolitan and other matters.
Further, Khan is expected to discuss important matters with the party leadership. This is the second visit of the premier to the metropolis.
Khan’s last visit to Karachi was in September, the first time after taking oath as the prime minister of Pakistan.
