Party activists dress in white and green to support the armed forces
There were seating arrangements for nearly 100,000 people complete with iftar boxes.
KARACHI:
You are either with us or against us, said the wife of a former military man, Rabab Kazmi, while talking about the Waziristan operation as she sat in the front row at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) solidarity rally on Sunday.
Kazmi wore a camouflage military cap to protect her from the seething sun as she sat in Jinnah Park to hear what party chief Altaf Hussain had to say about the military operation in Waziristan.
"It's not that big a deal for us to fast in this heat or sit here in the open at the rally," she said while talking to The Express Tribune. "This rally is for those men and women who are sacrificing their lives for us in Waziristan." She added that she knew what their families and loved ones might be going through as she suffered the same when her husband, Major Dawar Kazmi, went off to Kargil and the 2009 Waziristan operation.
The MQM was very busy on Sunday. They had organised a rally in support of military operation Zarb-e-Azb at Jinnah Park, adjacent to the Quaid's mosoleum. The party claimed to the have had seats for more than a hundred thousand people with the same number of boxes of food ready for iftar.
The party had invited every political party in the country to stand with them and rise above their political and personal differences. While several agreed to join them, the Jamaat-e-Islami declined while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Islam did not participate.
The park was lined with posters of the party leader, especially the new cover of Neweek's one-on-one interview with Altaf Hussain.
The women present at the rally were wearing themed outfits - green and white to show how patriotic they were. Many had accessorised their outfits with green and white caps, bangles and nail colour. Some women had dressed their children in military uniforms and made them sit on a stage while they shouted slogans in support of the Pakistan Army.
According to the MQM's womens wing incharge Kishwar Zehra, the women of the party tried to come up with something new every time they had a rally. This time their theme was the national flag - green and white. "The women of the MQM are passionate and want to make these rallies and protests interesting and visually appealing," she said.
The real challenge at this rally, however, according to MQM's Fauzia Siddiqui, was to distribute the iftar boxes in 15 minutes.
The party leader said that they had decided to give out the boxes to people while they were seated 15 minutes before iftar in order to avoid chaos.
The seating area at the rally was divided into four zones and was being looked after by a woman from the womens' wing. They were also responsible for coordinating with the sector and unit incharges for distributing the iftar boxes.
The party had also paid extra attention to the security. While MQM activists were monitoring all areas, there were also 400 policemen on duty with four bomb disposal squads.
Also at the rally was actor and a member of the MQM's central executive committee, Anwar Iqbal. He said that he felt the rally would break all previous records as everyone had stepped out to support the armed forces and MQM.
Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz's Saleem Zia was there representing the Prime Minister. "Although we have had our differences with the MQM, it is time to rise above them and stand together," he said while talking to The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2014.
You are either with us or against us, said the wife of a former military man, Rabab Kazmi, while talking about the Waziristan operation as she sat in the front row at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) solidarity rally on Sunday.
Kazmi wore a camouflage military cap to protect her from the seething sun as she sat in Jinnah Park to hear what party chief Altaf Hussain had to say about the military operation in Waziristan.
"It's not that big a deal for us to fast in this heat or sit here in the open at the rally," she said while talking to The Express Tribune. "This rally is for those men and women who are sacrificing their lives for us in Waziristan." She added that she knew what their families and loved ones might be going through as she suffered the same when her husband, Major Dawar Kazmi, went off to Kargil and the 2009 Waziristan operation.
The MQM was very busy on Sunday. They had organised a rally in support of military operation Zarb-e-Azb at Jinnah Park, adjacent to the Quaid's mosoleum. The party claimed to the have had seats for more than a hundred thousand people with the same number of boxes of food ready for iftar.
The party had invited every political party in the country to stand with them and rise above their political and personal differences. While several agreed to join them, the Jamaat-e-Islami declined while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Islam did not participate.
The park was lined with posters of the party leader, especially the new cover of Neweek's one-on-one interview with Altaf Hussain.
The women present at the rally were wearing themed outfits - green and white to show how patriotic they were. Many had accessorised their outfits with green and white caps, bangles and nail colour. Some women had dressed their children in military uniforms and made them sit on a stage while they shouted slogans in support of the Pakistan Army.
According to the MQM's womens wing incharge Kishwar Zehra, the women of the party tried to come up with something new every time they had a rally. This time their theme was the national flag - green and white. "The women of the MQM are passionate and want to make these rallies and protests interesting and visually appealing," she said.
The real challenge at this rally, however, according to MQM's Fauzia Siddiqui, was to distribute the iftar boxes in 15 minutes.
The party leader said that they had decided to give out the boxes to people while they were seated 15 minutes before iftar in order to avoid chaos.
The seating area at the rally was divided into four zones and was being looked after by a woman from the womens' wing. They were also responsible for coordinating with the sector and unit incharges for distributing the iftar boxes.
The party had also paid extra attention to the security. While MQM activists were monitoring all areas, there were also 400 policemen on duty with four bomb disposal squads.
Also at the rally was actor and a member of the MQM's central executive committee, Anwar Iqbal. He said that he felt the rally would break all previous records as everyone had stepped out to support the armed forces and MQM.
Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz's Saleem Zia was there representing the Prime Minister. "Although we have had our differences with the MQM, it is time to rise above them and stand together," he said while talking to The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2014.