No aid, no justice: Qawwal group to stage sit-in

Majid Ali Sabri plans a symbolic sit-in with tabla and harmonium

KARACHI:

Qawwal Majid Ali Sabri has announced a protest and symbolic sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club on Friday, accompanied by musical instruments and fellow musicians, in response to the federal and provincial governments' failure to announce any form of compensation - more than a week after the Kalat tragedy.

Majid Ali Sabri, of the renowned Sabri Qawwal family, stated that certificates received from performances in Qawwali gatherings cannot eradicate hunger and poverty. His group, which lost members in the Kalat incident, has warned of a peaceful demonstration after Friday prayers, where they will gather outside the Karachi Press Club with their instruments to express their outrage through silence.

The protest is in response to the absence of any financial assistance or official statements acknowledging the loss of three lives and the injury of five others, one of whom remains in critical condition in hospital.

In an interview with The Express Tribune, Sabri emphasised that unless immediate aid and compensation are announced, they will place their tabla, harmonium, and dholak on the ground in a silent sit-in to "shake the conscience of those in power."

Sabri expressed frustration over repeated appeals to government officials that have resulted only in sympathy and hollow assurances. "No practical steps have been taken, and no meaningful response has come for the families who lost everything," he said. "There is deep sorrow and even deeper hunger in the homes of the victims."

He described the homes of the deceased Qawwals as filled not just with grief, but with the cries of hungry children, saying families are struggling for basic necessities like food and milk. "Performance certificates cannot fill stomachs," he said. "They are not enough to address this suffering."

Sabri stressed that the group is not demanding govt stipends, but rather justice — which, he said, is the right of every citizen affected by terrorism. "We have brought honour to this country through our art," he said. "Now it is the government's responsibility to answer our call."

He also voiced disappointment at the silence of prominent cultural and literary institutions, which have not stepped forward to support the grieving families or demand justice on their behalf.