KARACHI: About 200 Shias protested on Sunday to condemn the disappearance of 11 Shia political activists, who have not been heard from for weeks amid allegations they have been detained by the government. Chanting "Free the detained young men," the protesters, among them relatives of the alleged detainees, gathered in a downtown Karachi street, across from the heavily guarded residence and office of the governor of Sindh.About 100 policemen in riot gear looked on as the Shias protested for about one hour but there was no violence and traffic from the street had been diverted. Protest leaders demanded that authorities provide information on the whereabouts of the 11 men, who have not been heard from since their disappearance from their homes between April 24 and May 15, and their families be allowed to meet with them. Police in Karachi have denied having information about the missing men. "Our young men have been picked up on directions from foreigners," Jawad Haider, leader of the Islamia Student Organisation that organised the protest, said in an indirect reference to the United States.