KARACHI: Sindhi Culture Day was celebrated with traditional enthusiasm in Karachi and every major city and town of the province on Sunday.

A large number of people, including women and children, converged outside the Karachi Press Club, with some carrying flags of Palestine. They danced to the songs sung by artists, showing longing for Sindh.

This year’s theme pertained to expulsion of illegal immigrants from Sindh.

Singers Tufail Sanjrani, Tameer Husain, Deeba Saher, Taj Mastani, Irfan Samoo, Najaf Ali, Faqir Mohammed Hasan, Marvel, Shahid Bhangwar, Dua Memon, Zoya, Wasim Dahar, Jigar Jalal Chandio sang traditional songs with applaud from the attendees.

Special security arrangements were made to avoid any untoward incident. Containers were parked on portions of roads leading to the venue at the KPC to prevent vehicles.

Speaking on the occasion, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) chairman Sanan Qureshi said Sindhi culture was all about love, tolerance and hospitality.

He also talked about undocumented Afghan nationals and demanded that the Supreme Court’s judgement against illegal immigrants in Sindh should be implemented in letter and spirit.

Mr Qureshi said that Sindh province was also facing challenges of growing lawlessness and menace of drugs and incidents of kidnappings had increased to the extent that even children and women were being abducted for ransom.

He also demanded the arrest of the killers of journalist Jan Mohammed Mahar. The JSQM leader said the reporters put their life in danger to highlight injustices against people but they were themselves not safe.

He said his party believed in politics of non-violence and would continue its struggle by non-violent means for the rights of Sindh by following the philosophy of G.M. Syed, founder of Sindhi nationalism.

Sindh Taraqi-pasand leader Gulzar Soomro also demanded expulsion of illegal immigrants.

South DIG Syed Asad Raza said that there was traffic mismanagement. He said the police had made diversions but some of the participants did not follow it particularly in the main Saddar area where a police mobile was allegedly ransacked by the participants. He said the police have decided to lodge an FIR against the suspects who damaged the official vehicle.

Separately, Sindh police celebrated the Sindhi cultural day at the Central Police Office/IG office.

Addressing the participant police officers and others, Inspector General of Police Riffat Mukhtar Raja said Sindhi culture was the world’s oldest culture while Indus river was the lifeblood as it provided water. The IG called for extending respect to everyone, fostering a sense of safety and striving towards a crime-free society.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2023