Flights cancelled, roads blocked as protests in support of Hazaras intensify in Karachi

As protests in solidarity with the Hazara community in Karachi continue to intensify following the Machh massacre, several flights have been delayed or cancelled and many roads have been blocked in the city.

According to the airport flight inquiry, 17 flights of local and international carriers were cancelled, while 25 flights departed after being delayed, reported Geo News.

Among the flights scheduled by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), 9 were cancelled.

Meanwhile, the flow of traffic on the roads remained severely hampered throughout the day owing to rising demonstrations, with some roads being closed.

Leaders of religious and political parties and the civil society participated in the central sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi, Geo News reported.

Meanwhile, a protest sit-in of Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) against the Machh incident continued for the third day near the Governor House, in which members of opposition parties like Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and others also participated.

The Sindh Bar Council also announced a boycott of all court proceedings on Friday, calling the massacre in Machh "a stark reminder of the failure of the government'.

On Sunday, unidentified gunmen stormed a coal mine near the Machh town near Quetta, pulling out ethnic Hazaras, members of Pakistan's Shia minority community, from their homes and opening fire on them.

The dreaded ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack as Hazaras have long faced persecution for their faith. Following the deadly attack, protests erupted in the region with the kin of the victims refusing to bury their dead until the government meets their demands.

The protests, though largely peaceful, are not dying down in a country already embroiled in a deep political crisis with united opposition demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Imran Khan's government.

( With inputs from ANI )