KARACHI: A number of major political parties in the metropolis took to the streets on Friday and staged separate protest demonstrations at different spots to raise their voice for a variety of civic issues.

Four parties the Pak Sarzameen Party, Jamaat-i-Islami, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf staged their separate sit-ins outside the Karachi Press Club, head offices of the K-Electric and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC), respectively.

It is widely believed that the sudden realisation of the civic problems being faced by the people of Karachi since long by all these parties actually aims at mobilising their respective cadres and to gain public sympathy ahead ofthe 2018 generalelection.

Unlike last week`s violent protests of the JI and PTI, the four demonstrations, by and large, remained peaceful as no incident of violence was reported and three of the four protests ended smoothly. The PSP had already announced that its protest sit-in would continue for an indefinite period.

The PSP`s protest, which began on Thursday, against civic problems as well as `poor governance and corruption` of the PPP-led Sindh government entered its second day on Friday.

Both tracks of the road in front of the press club have been blocl(ed for vehicular traffic. A large number of party workers and supporters spent the night between Thursday and Friday on the road along with their leadership and were joined by more people in the morning.

Mr Kamal and other leaders occasionally spoke to the media and made it clear that they would not end their protest until the resolution of the people`s problems.

The PSP chairman vowed to fight for the peoples` rights `without firing a bullet or becoming violent` He demanded that the KWSB be brought under the administrative control of the Karachi mayor so that the people of the metropolis could hold him accountable.

He also lashed out at K-Electric for `looting` the people by overbilling and asked the authorities to arrest the chief executive officer of the power utility for a transparent probe on allegations of overbilling.`Our movement will not end. If we leave this place [press club] we will go somewhere else to lodge protest for our people,` he added.

JI`s protest against K-Electric Workers and supporters of the JI gathered outside the K-Electric headquarters in Defence and staged a sit-in against `prolonged power outages and overbilling` by the power utility.

It was the second such protest by the JI in one week.

Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman, the chief of the JI`s city chapter, vowed that the protest drive would continue until strict action against the power utility that had `extorted`billions of rupees from Karachiites is taken.

Addressing the protesters, he asked the people of Karachi to join the JI campaign and `if you would not come out to raise your voice, K-Electric will not bother to improve itself and continue extorting money from your pockets for supplying electricity merely for 12 hours in a day`.

He explained that the JI took to the streets after all its ef forts went unheard and the KE management did not bother to listen.

`The Jamaat-i-Islami has decided to launch a peaceful campaign with the support of Karachiites and it`s an encouraging sign that it has been gaining momentum with each passing day,` Hafiz Naeem said.

The sit-in continued for around sevenhours and ended peacefully after the speech of JI Sindh chief Mairajul Huda Siddiqui.

Meanwhile, the KE rejected the JI allegations and claimed that `all billing is done as per regulatory processes and guidelines`.

PTI`s protest against CBC Residents of Clifton and members of the PTI continued their protest outside the CBC office against imposition of a new tax on supply of water through tankers.

Led by PTI leader and area MNA Arif Alvi, the protesters demanded the CBC authorities to withdraw the tax Rs500 per tanker and provide water through the pipelines. In the morning, the protesters turned violent when they came to resume their protest and found the of fice locked. They were denied entry inside the office while no one paid any heed to their protest. Chanting slogans against the management, some of the protesters lost their cool and became violent.

Realising the situation, the CBC`s additional chief executive officer, who was present inside the office, agreed to hold talks with a delegation of protesters.

He gave assurance to the delegation comprising Mr Alvi, PTI MPA Samar Ali Khan and others that the new tax would be revisited in a board meeting this month and the issue would be solved amicably.

Mr Khan told Dawn that the protesters dispersed peacefully following the assurance of the CBC official.

MQM`s protest against KWSB Residents of North Karachi along with their elected representatives belonging to the MQM-Pakistan staged a sit-in at the headquarters of the KWSB on Sharea Faisal against an acute water shortage and mixing of sewage in water lines.

Carrying placards and shouting slogans against the KWSB management, the protesters demanded immediate supply of water and repair of damaged lines due to which sewage was getting mixed with water.

A delegation comprising area MNA Shaikh Salahuddin and MPAs Jamal Ahmed and Waseem Qureshi called on KWSB Managing Director Hashim R aza Zaidi and informe d him of their problems.

The KWSB chief assured the delegation that all illegal connections would be removed and an equitable distribution of water in North Karachi would be ensured.

Upon his assurance, the protesters wrapped up their sit-in and dispersed peacefully.