KARACHI:
The long-time Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) activist, Habib Jan Baloch, met with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Sindh president, Ghous Ali Shah, at Shah’s residence on Friday. The meeting was described by Habib Jan as a part of their efforts to create awareness about the issues in Lyari, in context of the crisis in Balochistan.
Habib Jan, who has worked for the PPP for over 35 years, told The Express Tribune that Balochistan’s issues need to be taken seriously. “Some misguided people are trying to separate Balochistan from Pakistan.” He commended the residents of Lyari for facing baton charge and protesting for democracy while ‘others were cozying up to dictators’. “Lyari’s Baloch and Katchhi communities cannot be repressed and the ‘formula’ adopted in Balochistan cannot be used here.”
Shah, a veteran PML-N leader who has served as the Sindh chief minister, said that his party’s stance was the same as Habib Jan’s. “We want peace in the country.” When asked if the PML-N had a shot at making inroads in Lyari, a PPP stronghold, Shah said that people do not belong to anyone as they are God’s creations. “These people are intelligent and can make their own decisions. Sometimes they pick one person, sometimes another- they are not bound to anyone.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2012.
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