KARACHI: Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that it is because of his party that there is no ‘no-go’ area for any ethnic group in the city today as people of all linguistic backgrounds are living in harmony and peace in Karachi.

He said this while speaking at a big public meeting held on Sunday in a playground close to Al-Asif Square at Sohrab Goth specifically for the Pakhtun community living in Karachi.

The PSP chief said that the Pakhtun-only event was organised to give a message of peace and brotherhood to all ethnic entities living in the city.

A large number of Pakhtuns came to the venue in the form of rallies from different parts of Karachi to listen to the speech of Mr Kamal. They were carrying PSP flags and his portraits and dancing to the tunes of party songs that were played from the stage.

Addressing the participants, Mr Kamal said that “the presence of thousands of Pakhtuns who came here on my call is enough to tell all anti-state elements that their conspiracies on exploiting ethnic fault lines have been foiled”.

“Today, no area in Karachi is a ‘no-go area’ for any ethnic group,” he said, adding that the PSP brought an end to the politics of ethnicity as well as Kalashnikov culture without even picking a weapon.

He said that in the past, innocent people used to killed in Karachi because of ethnic politics, but the era of politics of guns and bullets was over. “We have buried all the hatred of the past 40 years. I will not let anyone hurt people just because they speak a different language,” he said.

Mr Kamal said that it was the responsibility of the state to encourage what he called, “misled and disgruntled” youths.

“Now is the time for a grand national charter between the state and its disgruntled sons. Guns, bullets and operations are not the solution,” he said, adding that a peace followed by an operation was not a positive sign but a source of embarrassment for patriotic Pakistanis.

He said that it was a proven fact that people would forget their decades-old enmity if someone spoke the truth to unite them for a common cause. “Our efforts for peace in Karachi are a case study for the rest of world,” he said.

Without naming anyone, the PSP chief said that today’s Pakhtun-only event had not only sent ripples through New Delhi and London.

“Today, Mustafa Kamal is the voice of the oppressed and an iron wall against the oppressors. We will eliminate oppression from Karachi to Khyber,” he said.

Without naming the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, he said the people had to consider as to why a “change” was not coming despite their doing everything.

He said that it was not the job of an MNA or MPA to construct roads or ensure cleanliness as their only job was to take part in legislation.

Earlier, PSP president Anis Kaimkhani said that the public meeting proved that all Mohajir, Pakhtun, Sindhi, Baloch and Punjabi people were with the PSP.

He said that the PSP had brought an end to ethnic politics in the city.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2021