Around 1,000 people had been living in parts of Badin and Thatta since July 6.
Forced out of their homes almost two months ago, the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of the Kutchi community have finally returned home to one of the most volatile neighbourhoods of Lyari, Agra Taj, Sunday evening amid fear and uncertainty over the law and order situation.
A rally of around 5,000 persons brought back the displaced families from the different areas they had sought refuge. The mass rally was supported by the Kutchi Rabita Committee (KRC) and nationalist parties, including Jeay Sindh Tehreek (JST), Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) and Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM). The rally came to a halt at the Karachi Press Club, where the protesters put forward their demand of ensuring complete security in the area, otherwise they would block Shahra-e-Faisal for an indefinite period.
As the IDPs left Badin and Thatta for Karachi, Bihar Colony residents were seen leaving Lyari because of intense firing that started Friday night. The displacement is likely to continue as armed men are moving freely around the border areas of Kutchi and Baloch communities, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The displacement had mainly taken place from Rahimanabad, Haji Bachal Road, Hingora Mohalla, Mandhra Mohalla, alFalah and Bihar Colony. Several families had taken shelter in different parts of the city, including Saddar, Ibrahim Haidery and Khokhrapar, while others moved to rural areas of the province.
Around 1,000 persons, including women and children, had been living at Dargah Abdul Haque Shah alias Shah Gurio and in other parts of Badin and Thatta since July 6. They chose not to return home despite the assurance of the provincial government, alleging that the law and order situation was out of control.
Dozens of buses, cars and scores of motorcycles from parts of Karachi, including Lyari, Saddar, Ibrahim Haidery and Khokhrapar, arrived at Shah Gurio on Friday to show solidarity with the families.
The families were guaranteed support by the KRC leadership and they had started packing amid slogans of unity and self defence. “We’ll protect our own people now because appropriate measures hadn’t taken place since the displacement,” said Akhtar Kutchi, the leader of the KRC.
Former Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, the caretaker of the Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai shrine, Syed Waqar Shah, JST’s Dr Safdar Sarki, JSM’s Riaz Chandio and notables from parts of Badin and parts of the province also reached Shah Gurio.
Protocol
The rally of the IDPs was given a private and a police protocol from Badin to Lyari. It received welcome receptions at more than two dozen locations on National Highway. The rally reached Bhambhore late Saturday night and after a stopover moved to Karachi on Sunday morning, and finally reached Lyari Sunday evening.
“It is a conspiracy against the original people of Karachi,” Haroon told the rally outside the Badin Press Club on Saturday. “Kutchis are Sindhis and the conspiracy against them wouldn’t be tolerated. We’ll protect them if government can’t ensure their security.”
Addressing the rally in Badin and outside the Karachi Press Club, JSM’s Chandio bitterly criticised the Sindh government and defunct Peoples Amn Committee Chief Uzair Baloch. He alleged that the provincial government had handed over Lyari to criminals. “We won’t allow them to continue the massacre of Sindhis.”
Dr Sarki also slammed the inadequate steps taken by the provincial and federal governments, saying that they had not ensured safety in Lyari. “The Sindh government had blamed a ‘third force’ for Lyari violence, but have yet to expose it.” Sindh Law Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro joined the rally at Bhambhore for two hours. He assured them that the government will take appropriate measures to maintain peace. He asked the KRC leadership and elders of the Kutchis to hold a meeting with him to discuss the issues.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2013.
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