KARACHI — Chaos erupted outside Sindh Assembly over wekend as police fired tear gas shells to disperse workers of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) who attempted to push into the Red Zone during a planned protest.
Clips from the site show tear gas clouds engulfing area as protesters ran for cover, shielding their faces amid the commotion. \JI had announced a sit-in for February 14, accusing the Sindh government of failing to resolve Karachi’s long-standing problems and interfering in the city’s key institutions.
کراچی میں جماعت اسلامی نے دھرنا شروع کردیا ہے اور پولیس نے ان کو روکنے کیلئے لاٹھی چارج کیا آنسو گیس کے شیل پھینکے جبکہ ورکرز رکاوٹیں ہٹا کر آگے آگئے ۔ اس وقت صورتحال کشیدہ بتائی جارہی ہے pic.twitter.com/bbwgfeMfoX
— Adv Sahiba Rana (@AdvSahibaRana) February 14, 2026
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said the provincial government and police had been in continuous contact with JI leaders since 4pm. He said the party was explicitly allowed to protest, but strictly barred from entering the Red Zone.
“Despite clear instructions, JI workers breached the restricted area, hurled stones at police personnel, and attempted to storm the assembly,” Memon said, adding that law enforcement was left with no choice but to respond using tear gas and arrests.
Invoking Section 144, the minister warned that no individual or political group would be permitted to violate the law. “You cannot take the law into your own hands,” he said, questioning JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman’s claim that the protest remained peaceful. Memon asked why demonstrators moved toward the assembly when it was not even in session, alleging their intent was to vandalise the building.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar said authorities had already made it clear that permission to march toward the Sindh Assembly would not be granted. “Police were attacked with stones. We were forced to take action,” he said, urging citizens not to become tools for those seeking to create unrest.
Sindh government spokesperson Aqraba Fatima also weighed in, calling on the JI and all political parties to protest peacefully and within the law. She warned that large crowds in sensitive security zones pose serious risks and stressed that disrupting daily life under the guise of protest was unacceptable. “The government believes in dialogue, but cooperation is essential,” she said, adding that maintaining peace in Karachi is a shared responsibility.
Meanwhile, JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman called out ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), taking to X to accuse it of “fascism.” Sharing videos and images of police action against protesters, he claimed the use of tear gas on what he called peaceful citizens exposed the Sindh government’s desperation and failure to govern.
