Pakistan remains tense after separatist leader assassination
World |
Cities and towns deserted after separatist leader's body discovered on Friday.
A tense atmosphere continues to affect towns and cities across Pakistan's southern Sindh province following the assassination of a nationalist leader in the region two days ago.
The bodies of Maqsood Qureshi, a leader of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) separatist movement, and a colleague were found on Friday in a burned-out car in Noshehro Feroz town, some 400 kilometers northeast of the regional capital, Karachi, sparking protests across the province.
Shops, markets and bazaars remained closed in almost all cities across the province on Saturday, except Karachi, where the nationalist party has a small influence.
Following Friday's discovery, protesters pelted police with stones, set old tires on fire and blocked main highways for hours, with long queues of vehicles forming on both sides of the highway connecting the province with the rest of the country.
Maqsood Qureshi was the younger brother of Bashir Khan Qureshi, the separatist group's former chief who died in mysterious circumstances last year. The movement has accused Pakistani intelligence agencies of poisoning him.
Sanan Qureshi, the son of late Bashir Qureshi and the group's current chairman, told reporters that his uncle's death was an act of government agencies seeking to foil the party's "liberation march" set for Sunday.
The bodies of Maqsood Qureshi, a leader of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) separatist movement, and a colleague were found on Friday in a burned-out car in Noshehro Feroz town, some 400 kilometers northeast of the regional capital, Karachi, sparking protests across the province.
Shops, markets and bazaars remained closed in almost all cities across the province on Saturday, except Karachi, where the nationalist party has a small influence.
Following Friday's discovery, protesters pelted police with stones, set old tires on fire and blocked main highways for hours, with long queues of vehicles forming on both sides of the highway connecting the province with the rest of the country.
Maqsood Qureshi was the younger brother of Bashir Khan Qureshi, the separatist group's former chief who died in mysterious circumstances last year. The movement has accused Pakistani intelligence agencies of poisoning him.
Sanan Qureshi, the son of late Bashir Qureshi and the group's current chairman, told reporters that his uncle's death was an act of government agencies seeking to foil the party's "liberation march" set for Sunday.
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