Following a dismal attendance, the venue filled up as the heat subsided. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
Families of the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leaders and workers came out in support of their loved ones in the party’s first major rally on Sunday evening.
As the heat subsided, people gradually made their way towards the ground near Mazar-e-Quaid where the PSP, formed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) dissidents Mustafa Kamal and Anis Kaimkhani, held its first jalsa in a bid to show the party’s political strength.
Relatives of PSP leaders occupied most of the family section of the venue. Sitting in the first row, Kamal’s wife talked about her husband’s decision to leave the MQM and form his own party. “I gradually came to know what he was thinking and I supported him,” she said. Kaimkhani’s sister, Nasreen, also in the front row, said her brother did not get anything from the MQM. A huge number of former voters of other parties, such as the MQM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), also attended the jalsa. “Kamal’s party flag [is the national flag of] Pakistan and he talks about all ethnicities,” said a former PTI supporter, Noorus Saba. Umair Wahab, another PSP supporter, said he had been associated with the MQM since 1996 but joined Kamal’s party on the second day of Kamal’s arrival.
Arrangements
Walk-through gates were installed at two points while a huge stage, 19 feet high and 84 feet wide, was set up. The party had formed various committees to look into the arrangements. A large number of police officers, including female commandoes, were also at the premises.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 25th, 2016.
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