Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah twice visited some badly affected areas in Karachi to ensure the law and order situation is under control and thoroughfares are cleared of debris so that vehicular traffic, especially new air-conditioned intra-city bus service becomes operational in the shortest possible time.
At least four buses of the newly launched Sindh People’s Bus Service were badly damaged in Karachi during the violent protests that started soon after the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. One of these buses was torched by the rioters. None of the passengers were hurt in the violent incidents as they left the bus before vandalism started. An official statement issued by the People’s Bus Service, however, said that staff of the buses had to face the violent situation.
It said each bus costs Rs80 million. Two buses were damaged on Sharea Faisal, the busiest road in Karachi, while one bus each was attacked by the rioters in the Nagan Chowrangi and Shah Faisal Colony areas of the city.
The operations of the People’s Bus Service were immediately halted after the violent agitation.
The CM on the night of the agitation visited Sharea Faisal and other affected parts of the city after police took action to disperse the protestors.
He ordered the municipal staff associated with the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board to immediately clear the debris from the roads.
He also ordered the police to ensure immediate arrest of the arsonists and miscreants who damaged buses and other vehicles including that of the police and the city’s water utility.
The next morning the CM again hit the roads of Karachi to ensure that the law and order situation was fully under control for a smooth flow of traffic. He visited a number of areas in the city to oversee the security situation. Due to his efforts, the People’s Bus Service resumed its operation in Karachi within 20 hours after the suspension of the service due to the agitation.
Later, the Karachi Police chief briefed the CM that 270 miscreants were arrested by the law-enforcement agencies on account of their involvement in violent agitation in the city as that included three people who are accused of damaging the public buses in the city.
The CM said that he wanted each and every culprit who damaged public and private properties in the city during agitation behind bars.
