The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Sunday staged a march in Karachi demanding the rights for the metropolis and announced taking out nationwide rallies on October 14 for the purpose.
A rally titled “Huqooq-e-Karachi” was held on Sharah-e-Quaideen where JI leaders observed that a public referendum would be held on October 15, 16 and 17 across Karachi for the approval of demands of its people.
The party leaders also hinted at besieging the Chief Minister House or the Sindh Assembly to secure the rights of the residents of the of metropolis.
“We will not leave its [Karachi’s] 30 million people alone. The struggle for the solution of problems of people of Karachi and for the acquisition of constitutional, legal and legitimate rights will continue,” JI chief Senator Sirajul Haq said while addressing a large gathering.
The JI amir congratulated the people of Karachi and his party workers on making the march a success.
Referring to the city as mini Pakistan, he said the whole country was affected when Karachi was disturbed as it was inhabited by people from all the provinces.
“Karachi's success is Pakistan's success and its destruction is the destruction of the whole country,” he said.
“No government since Ayub Khan has given Karachi its due rights. The provincial government and the federal governments have always exploited the people of Karachi, while the current federal and provincial government are also doing injustice to the city,” he added.
“There were objections to the census in Karachi but the federal government has not done anything to rectify the population count despite its announcement.”
The JI chief announced to hold nationwide rallies titled “Karachi Day” on October 14 to express solidarity with the people of Karachi.
He said at present not the people of Karachi but of the entire province were disturbed and that the 780 days of the current federal government was “a story of failures”.
“The economy is ruined and the people are in dire straits. The government has not even been able to take effective action against those who had assaulted boys, girls and women,” he said.
“The prices of flour, pulses, rice and sugar have skyrocketed while medicines are also out of the reach of a common man,” he added.
“The government has brought old machinery to build a new Pakistan. Everyone is a witness to the current state of governmental affairs.”
The JI chief noted that the ruling parties had destroyed Karachi and were not capable of fixing the issues faced by the city.
Commenting on the premier’s statement about the U-turns, he asked the government to “take a right turn and have mercy on people”. Haq said the government’s policy on Kashmir had failed.
He said the government, which had started off with the idea of providing chickens and eggs to people for improving the country’s economy was now saying that they would do so by producing cannabis.
“How can such people run the government and solve the problems of people?” he questioned.
Speaking on the occasion, Karachi JI chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman emphasised that the city needed the utmost attention of the authorities.
“The recent rains have completely exposed the ruling class as the city is deprived of electricity, gas and water. What was once the capital of the country is now in a state of despair,” he said, and added that the population of the city had been undercounted.
He stressed on the need that census should be conducted again as per the decision of the Council of Common Interests.
The JI leader said that his party would hold a public referendum on October 15, 16 and 17 and hinted at besieging the Sindh Assembly and Chief Minister's House for the rights of Karachi.
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