KARACHI: The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party on Sunday staged a ‘Karachi Solidarity Rally’ against what it called any move to divide Sindh in the name of urban rights, and warned that such ‘conspiracies’ would lead to anarchy and destabilisation of the state.

Without naming any party, PPP leaders mainly attacked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan that has actively been pursuing its demand for a new province in Sindh and rights of Karachi.

“The conspiracy to divide Sindh is against the spirit of Quaid-i-Azam’s ideology,” said PPP Sindh president Nisar Khuhro while addressing the rally, which concluded at Empress Market in Saddar.

A large number of people including men, women and children attended the rally, which began in the afternoon from Ayesha Manzil in Federal B Area and ended at Empress Market a little before sunset.

The ruling party stages a power show in response to recent events of opposition parties

Party workers carrying PPP flags and banners and dancing to the tunes of party songs gathered from different parts of the city to attend the rally, which came amid a growing demand for the rights of Karachi mainly from opposition parties like MQM-P and Jamaat-i-Islami in Sindh with their back-to-back rallies and power shows.

‘Attempt to run Karachi from Banigala’

“It’s an irony that those who claim themselves to be creators of Pakistan are today negating the ideology of its founder. We warn them to quit the politics of hatred and division on ethnic grounds. The people of Karachi and Sindh would never let it happen,” said Mr Khuhro.

He said that after elimination of terrorism from the metropolis, everyone wanted to hijack the mandate of Karachi. “After running Karachi from London for a considerable period, now efforts are being made to run the city from Banigala,” he said.

He said the people of Karachi had already suffered violence for three decades and they could not be made fool in the name of fake rights ideology.

“Those who have come to protest over the rights of Karachi had ruined three generations of the Urdu-speaking community only for vested interests of a few so-called leaders. The PPP is the only party which negates the politics of hatred and ethnicity and it would protect right of every individual in Karachi,” he added.

“If citizens of Karachi vote in favour of PPP, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would change the city,” he claimed.

Earlier, Sindh Education Minister and PPP-Karachi president Saeed Ghani termed the rally an attempt to diminish hatred ignited by rival parties to create a rural-urban and ethnic divide in the province.

“Those who are attempting to divide Sindh and create divisions among different ethnicities are warned that we will not let that happen,” he said.

Accompanied by general secretaries of Sindh and Karachi PPP chapters Waqar Mehdi and Javed Nagori, respectively, he said that the PPP was a non-violent party and we only go for peaceful and democratic way to respond against all the propaganda and hatred.

‘Politics of ethnicity buried’

“Today, people of Karachi have buried the politics of ethnicity,” he said, adding that the rally was not against any party but it was against the politics of hatred and against the statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had said that “people from interior Sindh” were ruling Karachi.

He said that the PTI was emerging as a “new MQM” but the people would no more tolerate hatred, ethnicity and politics of division.’

He said that the PPP rally negated the narrative of hatred in Sindh and bring people from all backgrounds together to give a clear message to ‘conspirators’.

“The parties which have lost credibility and mandate in Karachi because of their history of violence and bloodshed are playing another dirty game to regain the ground through [fanning] ethnic hatred. They know that they can only win when the people start hating each other over their ethnic backgrounds,” he said.

“We are not against the political activities of MQM-P,” Mr Ghani said, adding that the PPP was against those who talked about a division of Sindh and creation of a new province.

Mr Ghani criticised the MQM-P, accusing it of highlighting ethnicity and sense of deprivation among the people of urban Sindh only for political gains.

Regarding reported issuance of a presidential ordinance for creation of an authority for development on islands by federal government, the minister said that the islands belonged to the provincial government and vowed that the PPP would give its detailed opinion soon.

Waqar Mehdi while addressing the rally claimed that the next local government elections would be a reflection of Karachiites’ thoughts when they would elect PPP as their representative.

“For more than three decades, this city has suffered for their contribution and loyalty as those who were elected always betrayed them for their personal gains,” he added.

Prof N.D. Khan, Senator Taj Haider, MNA Shahida Rehmani, provincial minister Shehla Raza and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2020