Overview
- Rallies, music programs and exhibitions unfolded across Sindh, with Karachi Press Club events and a three-day festival at the Pakistan Maritime Museum drawing large crowds and boosting sales of ajrak and Sindhi caps.
- Police blocked access at the FTC point on Shahrah-e-Faisal and directed a nationalist group’s rally to alternate routes through Lines Area toward Saddar, prompting a confrontation when participants tried to proceed toward the Red Zone.
- Officers reported stone-pelting, damage to vehicles and injuries to five policemen, leading to baton charges and tear gas, with traffic disruptions later eased after roads were reopened.
- Karachi police said 35 to 45 people were detained, with some subsequently released on surety, as Sindh’s home minister ordered swift action against those accused of attacking personnel or damaging property.
- Leaders including the Sindh chief minister, the governor and the prime minister issued congratulatory messages, the 39-day World Culture Festival in Karachi concluded, and diaspora communities such as Dallas held parallel celebrations.