KARACHI, June 18: The Pakhtoon Action Committee, calling itself the ‘Loya Jirga’, has given a call for another strike on June 30 for the government’s alleged failure to initiate a dialogue with it on resolving the problems and grievances of Pakhtoon people in Karachi.
The decision to observe the strike was announced by chairman of the committee Shahi Syed at a press conference held at Bacha Khan Markaz on Sunday.
He said that the Jirga, constituted on May 14 at a representative meeting of Pakhtoon people in Karachi, had prepared a 14-point charter of demand and the points had been explained at a press conference on May 26. The demands had accordingly been conveyed to the authorities concerned, he added.
To press the government to meet these demands, a peaceful rally had also been taken out on June 2 from Lasbela to the Karachi Press Club and two days later, the government had been given a deadline of June 17 to open a dialogue with the Jirga on the issues.
However, Shahi Syed regretted, the authorities seemed to have taken it as our weakness.
He repeated the Jirga’s claim that Pakhtoons living in Sindh, particularly Karachi, were being subjected to victimisation as not only their settlements were being razed on the pretext of encroachment removal, they were also being squeezed economically in the name of anti-pollution plans.
He said that the June 30 strike would be peaceful and aimed at proving that Pakhtoons did not accept being regarded as second class citizens, but they deserved honour and dignity.
He warned that if the authorities resorted to sabotaging the protest through misuse of state power, the responsibility for consequences would rest on the government.
