Karachiites suffer as protests become order of day

KARACHI: Commuters have to go through great hardship almost every day due to protests and rallies on the streets of Karachi, as these have become order the day.

It appears as if protesters are at liberty to take to any street and block it for traffic, ruining the plans of thousands of commuters who are trying to reach from point A to B.

Ambulances also get stuck in the traffic mess and the distance that should take minutes to cover gets stretched over hours, delaying the provision of much needed medical care to the patient.

Here is the list protests and rallies on Karachi streets during the past few days: protest over killings of Muslims by Israel-backed forces in Nigeria on December 16; protest by PIA on December 15 employees over proposed privatization of the national flag carrier; protest by sugarcane growers on December 13; protest by family members of a youth killed in an alleged police encounter and; protest demonstration on December 11 calling for declaring local bodies elections null and void and then holding re-elections.

No matter if the number of demonstrators is huge or thin, blocking roads is considered the most essential part of any protest. The aim, obviously, is to draw attention of the government by making the people suffer.
Traffic jam is just one problem caused by these protests. The availability of a large number of people stuck in jams becomes a perfect place for the criminal elements to come out and deprive the citizens of their cash, jewelry, cell phones, laptops and other valuable belongings.

What is even more irritating for the commuters is how police reacts to the protests. Sometimes the protesters don’t have any intention to block a road but then police jumps to action and does what protesters don’t.

Protests are also held in other civilized countries where people do take to streets to raise their voice. But unlike the protesters of our country, these demonstrators never try to disrupt the system.

The citizens of Karachi who contribute billions of rupees in taxes question for how long they will have to put up with this ordeal on a day to day basis. Don’t the administration and traffic police have any solution to this significant issue?