KARACHI, Dec 26: Hundreds of men, women and children, who came to the Quaid’s mausoleum to pay homage to the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on his 125th birth anniversary, suffered hardship and humiliation when they reached the mazar.
They reached the mausoleum in groups or individually, travelled from far off places in buses, taxis, rickshaws and private cars and motorcycles to offer Fateha on the grave of the Father of the Nation, but lost their day’s holiday as they were denied permission to enter the premises.
There was a traffic mayhem on M. A, Jinnah Road, Shahrah Quaideen and other adjoining arteries for some hours as those visiting the mazar were denied permission and they remained present on footpaths and roadsides with small children.
The families who travelled all the way from New Karachi, North Nazimabad, Orangi, Korangi and Landhi-Malir to show their love to the Quaid said they were refused permission by the security agencies although it was a day of the Quaid and it was the year of Quaid-i-Azam, and children had insisted that they would go to the mazar at all costs.
The entire area was cordoned off by the Pakistan Rangers, police and personnel of sensitive agencies as the mausoleum was closed to the public in the afternoon on account of tight security measures for President Gen Pervez Musharraf who came to offer Fateha at the Mazar and address a function organized jointly by Ministry of Minorities, Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth Affairs and the National Committee on Quaid-i-Azam Year. It was a live programme on PTV.
Along with public, the city journalists, foreign press correspondents and photographers also had to face embarrassment when security guards refused to entertain the entry passes issued by Press Information Department after duly cleared by the Sindh Police Special Branch to cover the event. After an argument when they failed to convince the army officials, media-men returned without covering the event.
Earlier, in the day PPP and PML delegations led by their leaders including former MNAs, MPAs, ministers and governor Mamnoon Hussain reached the mazar but were refused entry.
The security personnel had, in fact, stopped the entry of general public into the premises of the Mazar at 11 am.
When the security men did not allow the PML and PPP delegations, the leaders after heated arguments offered Fateha at the mazar and laid floral wreaths at the gate of the mausoleum.
They criticized the government for stopping common man to pay homage to their Quaid and offer Fateha when the nation was commemorating the Year of the Quaid in connection with his 125th birthday anniversary.
On Dec 24, the authorities had notified for the general public through the press that the Mazar will remain closed from 3 pm for general public, but as people who mostly live in periphery townships of the metropolis and who don’t read newspapers regularly, suffered the most as they planned an outing on a public holiday with their families.
Since the construction of a beautiful Shalimar-style garden around the mazar, a majority of the people have been visiting the Bagh on different events and on holidays for a leisure time and to pay respect to the Quaid on Dec 25 every year.
They were disappointed after finding contingents of rangers, police and security agencies surrounding the Mazar and patrolling in 5 kms radius.
Some of the families, however taking clue from massive presence of police, rangers and Shahbaz Force around the Mazar shifted to other parks in the vicinity but most of the families in the hope to be able to enter the premises of mausoleum stayed in streets opposite the Mazar on M. A. Jinnah Road.
At a time when due to rush of people and the road was blocked for traffic, the police resorted to a light baton charge to push them back and clear the road.
KARACHI, Dec 26: Hundreds of men, women and children, who came to the Quaid’s mausoleum to pay homage to the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on his 125th birth anniversary, suffered hardship and humiliation when they reached the mazar.
