Say no to drones: PTI sit-in a ‘success’ on second day

Waiting for Imran Khan fails to deter protester enthusiasm.

KARACHI:

As on Saturday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) sit-in at Native Jetty Bridge was once again passionate yet peaceful on its second and concluding day on Sunday. Thousands of people flocked to the protest site in an orderly fashion to show their support.

And just as on the first day, supporters once again had to wait for PTI chief Imran Khan, who spoke later in the evening.

In the meantime, several important figures from the party as well as political leaders and celebrities addressed the gathering.

PTI senior vice-president Najeeb Haroon said Karachi has played a significant role in all important movements. He predicted that ‘change is going to happen soon, from the shoreline of Karachi to the mountains of Khyber’.

The ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chapter, Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, said that the US now enjoys more influence in Pakistan than Britain did during the colonial era. “A drone strike occurred only a day after a resolution was passed against it in the National Assembly.” He congratulated Imran Khan for starting the movement against US intervention in Pakistan, and called for unity among all anti-American forces to drive out the US from the country.

He also lashed out at ‘all those parties’ who conducted a referendum to curry favour with the US, carry out target killings and destabilise Karachi. “We salute Imran Khan for saying that he will go to London and fight cases against such forces to bring them to justice,” he concluded.

Syed Adnan Kakakhel, a leader from Waziristan, came with a group of youths from his area. He said that the people of Waziristan are being punished for crimes that they did not commit. He criticised the government for letting Nato use Pakistani territory to transport explosives and missiles which they later used to bomb Pakistanis only. “There are more than 7,000 Americans staying in Pakistan illegally, and no one can stop them.”

Film actor Ajab Gul, who is from Peshawar, also addressed the protesters. “The people in Waziristan don’t have clothes or education. All that they have left is their life, and now even that is being taken away from them.” Sunni Tehreek chief Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, Jeay Sindh chairman Qamar Bhatti and Sindh National Front general secretary Ayub Shaikh were also present.

Former director FIA, Muhammad Ilyas Shaikh and several student leaders also announced that they were joining the PTI. The Rangers and the police, along with PTI activists, were hawkishly alert.

Nonetheless, a minor scuffle broke out between activists of the Sunni Tehreek and the PTI, as the former tried to get on to the podium. Barring that, the sit-in was a peaceful and, some would even say, a pleasant affair, with a large number of families also in attendance.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2011.