Carnival atmosphere greets PDM rally

Participants slam PTI government over inflation, demand its ouster

KARACHI:

On Sunday, Bagh-e-Jinnah was a spectacle, draped in flags of different political parties and adorned with huge posters of political leaders. The air was charged with melodies, slogans and fiery speeches.

Scores assembled in the ground for the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) second rally against the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led federal government.

Among them were those who belonged to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat-e-Ulwma-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), Awami National Party (ANP) and other religious and political parties.

There were those too who had travelled all the way from Shikarpur, Tharparkar, Larkana, Badin and elsewhere.

It was a diverse crowd sharing the same sentiment, evident in the echoing shouts of ‘go Niazi go’, ‘go Imran go’, ‘go selected go’ and ‘mehangai namanzoor’ (inflation is unacceptable).

Political workers, men, women and the elderly, had begun spilling into the ground soon after sunset. The ground quickly filled to capacity. And so, many ended up standing outside, on the roads, pavements and even atop of buses and other vehicles.

Yet many others, in hopes of entering the already brimming ground, continued to roam from one entrance point to the other.

Among them was Nisar Khan, a resident of Lines Area. He said he wasn’t associated with any party, but was only there seeing an opportunity to be a part of those protesting inflation.

“This jalsa [rally] is against inflation and so, I am here to join the PDM in toppling the government,” he said, joining the sea shouting, “mehangai namanzoor.”

Meanwhile, scores of women, from across the Sindh, struggled to get to the stage. The majority of them belonged to the PPP and a smaller segment to the PML-N, while female participation from the JUI-F and ANP was very low.

Wearing party flags in place of dupattas, those belonging to the PPP continued to shout slogans in favour of PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, dancing to the tunes of ‘dila teer bija’ - the PPP’s famously catchy anthem.

Dilshad Bano was among the unfortunate dozens who had to make do with cheering for their leaders from outside the ground.

Sitting on a pavement, she told The Express Tribune she was from Rajanpur but lived in the city.

She was staunch in her demands.

“The prime minister should resign now. He is not our prime minister. His policies are not for the poor,” she said vehemently, punctuating the statement with the slogan “go Niazi go”.

Similarly, Shahzadi, a PML-N worker from Malir, said, “Our leader [Maryam Nawaz] is in the city and I am here to join her against Imran Khan. We demand another election as this government has failed to address the people’s issues.”

These party workers had kept their differences aside to put up a united front against the PTI government. The example was set by their leaders, who, once opponents, were seen walking and sitting side by side and shouting slogans in unison.

Welcome camps

The event, however, was not just restricted to Bagh-e-Jinnah.

Welcome camps were set up at various points, including at the Motorway, Super Highway, Sharae Faisal, Tariq Road and in other areas. At these camps, the rally’s participants were provided water, food and face masks.

Besides, over a dozen camels, draped in traditional, colourful cloth, were brought to the camps on Sharae Faisal, welcoming Maryam to the city. The greetings continued all the way to Bagh-e-Jinnah, with a group from Lyari dancing alongside Maryam’s entourage.

Given the mammoth crowd, long queues of vehicles, carrying the rally’s attendees, were parked on the MA Jinnah Road, the road leading from Peoples Chowrangi to Tariq Road and in the streets and roads in Saddar and Garden. The participants walked all the way from there to the venue.

Security

As part of security arrangements, law enforcement personnel were deployed at various points in the ground’s surroundings, while a large number of volunteers were also assigned security duties.

However, they struggled to manage the large crowd.

A medical camp was also set up inside Bagh-e-Jinnah, where doctors and nursing staff provided medical assistance to sick attendees.

Dr Muhammad Hussain, deployed at the venue, told The Express Tribune that 30,000 face masks were distributed among the participants. “There is no stock left and 20,000 more are to be distributed.”

Health staff at the venue said that hundreds of persons had sought medical help from them.

“People are exhausted and tired, experiencing body aches and headache,” Dr Hussain said.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2020.