KARACHI: Muhajir Culture Day was celebrated in Karachi on Tuesday. Every year, on Dec 24, a rally is taken out by Naujawanan-i-Muhajir, which terminates at the Quaid-i-Azam’s Mausoleum, to commemorate the day.

However, this year, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan also celebrated the day, while Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, an MQM-P nominee, organised a bigger event for Karachiites in Governor House to mark the day.

Since language and literature play an integral part in the cultural composition of any group, the celebrations had already informally begun by holding a mushaira at the Markaz-i-Islami, Ayesha Manzil on Dec 21. After that, a few more mushairas were held, such as the one in Qayyumabad, with a different host but the aim was to mark the culture day.

On Tuesday, the Naujawanan-i-Muhajir rally, led by chairman M Zohaib Azam, began at Karimabad. A large number of youngsters on motorbikes first paid homage to the Shuhada-i-Urdu and then headed towards Teen Hatti and Jehangir Road.

Naujawanan-i-Muhajir stages big rally to mark the day; MQM-P sets up citywide camps to welcome people heading to Sindh Governor House for celebrations

The rally reached the mausoleum of the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, where the participants paid tribute to the martyrs of the freedom movement for Pakistan.

In the evening, a bigger event was held at the Governor House. It didn’t seem to have any connection with the rally arranged by the Naujawanan-i-Muhajir. When asked about that, Mr Azam said Governor House does it in its own capacity and doesn’t get in touch with his group.

Welcoming camps, set up by the MQM-P, could be seen in several parts of the metropolis.

At one of the camps near the Governor House on the road that leads to Zainab Market, a gentleman leading the group there named Tahir said the day has been observed for quite a few years now and its arrangements are made at the Governors House. “Camps are being set up for the purpose and all the Muhajirs will participate in it.”

A large number of people gathered at the Governor House to participate in the celebrations, which continued late in the night. Governor Tessori and MQM-P leadership also delivered speeches.

Earlier, during his visit to different camps set up across Karachi, Governor Tessori expressed his delight on the preparation and said that the Muhajir culture had a significant role in fostering national unity and peace. “Punjabis, Sindhis, Baloch and Pashtuns are our brothers, and I consider myself the younger brother of all these communities,” he said.

Although the city-level arrangements seemed a bit patchy, on social media, especially on Facebook, people started posted congratulatory messages from morning on Muhajir Culture Day, some shared Urdu couplets relevant to the occasion and others talked about what constitutes Muhajir culture.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Karachi chapter president Raja Azhar and general secretary Arsalan Khalid congratulated the nation on Muhajir Culture Day and said that the day was as important as Pakhtun Culture Day or Sindhi Culture Day.

Mr Khalid paid tribute to all those who had struggled and sacrificed for the homeland and pledged to keep the cultural identity of Muhajirs alive

The Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and PML-Q also greeted the nation on the day.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2024