MULTAN: Activists of various Seraki parties organised a rally on the Seraiki Ajrak Day here on Wednesday.

Scores of activists wearing blue ajrak, led by Seraikistan Soba Mahaaz leaders Zahoor Dhareja, Khawaja Ghulam Farid Koreja, Syeda Abida Bukhari, Ojala Langah and Matloob Bukhari, held the rally from Chowk Nawan Shaher to the press club on Abdali Road.

Speakers said the Seraikis across the globe were celebrating the Seraiki Ajrak Day but it was unfortunate that both Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Umsan Buzdar, who belonged to the Seraiki region, did not congratulate the Seraikis on their cultural day and hurt the feelings of Seraikis. They reminded the prime minister that he had run his election campaign wearing Seraiki Ajrak in the Seraiki region. They said that soon the Wasaib would get its own province and that the next year Seraiki Ajrak Day would be celebrated in the Seraiki province.

They said that instead of dividing the region, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government should announce a Seraiki province as per its manifesto and if the policy of dividing the Seraiki region continued, the people would hold protest demonstrations instead of peace rallies.

They said the Seraiki people were not begging alms, rather they were demanding their right to preserve their own culture, history and geography. They said that as other provinces had their ethnic identities, the Seraiki province should also be established with its own ethnic identity.

They said that they considered the term south Punjab quite absurd as Mianwali, Bhakkar, Khushab, Jhang, Tank and Dera Ismail Khan were part of the Seraiki region but did not fall in south of Punjab.

Seraiki activists will continue their celebrations in the month of March.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2019