KARACHl: An attempt by former singer Junaid Jamshed to stage a protest outside Chief Minister House with truckloads of garbage was foiled by police as they seized the trucks and held three persons on Friday.

Jamshed Quarters SP Tahir Noorani said that the police seized around 15 dumpers, some empty and some loaded with garbage, on Jamshed Road as a precautionary measure and held a few people who were later released. There were reports that the singer-turned-preacher wanted to go to CM House to lodge a protest against heaps of garbage in the metropolis.

SP Noorani said that the Karachi commissioner held talks with Mr Jamshed and convinced him to meet the chief minister for further talks.

A spokesperson for CM House said that Mr Jamshed, who was accompanied by two other members of civil society, met CM Murad Ali Shah and informed him that he had no political ambitions and all he wanted to draw attention of the authorities towards the unbearable filthy conditions in the city.

The CM informed him about his plan of cleaning the city and pledged to clean Karachi within the next two months.

He said that the government would soon construct 1,000 garbage dumps across the city and considering imposing a ban on throwing garbage in streets and roads.

He also promised that the Sindh government was going to launch a campaign to address the issue of garbage soon.