KARACHI, Dec 3: The Pakhtoon Action Committee (Loya Jirga) condemned the atrocities committed against pakhtoons and announced to observe complete strike on December 15.

Addressing a public meeting at Banaras Chowk on Sunday evening, PAC chairman Shahi Sayed, who is also the president of Awami National Party’s Sindh chapter, said pakhtoon students were being tortured and their houses were being demolished.

He said the PAC leaders had time and again raised their voice against the cruelties, but they were always dodged on hollow promises.

The PAC chairman said pakhtoons were the real builders of Karachi, but they were being forced to leave the city.

He said the action committee had decided in principle to give all sacrifices for the rights of oppressed. He said pakhtoons believed in a policy of ‘live and let other live’ and they would not let anybody usurp their rights. He said those thinking expulsion of pakhtoons were living in fools’ paradise, as pukhtoons were the one who worked hard and changed a coastal area into the city of lights.

He said pakhtoon leaders were well-aware of the conspiracies being hatched against pakhtoons and they would not tolerate any longer.

He said if the government failed to address their grievances, they would be compelled to come on streets and a series of protests, including wheel-jam strikes and non-payment of taxes, would be announced.

Through some unanimously passed resolutions, the PAC asked the government to stop creating hurdles in issuance of national identity cards to pakhtoons, pay reasonable compensation to the affectees of the kucthi abadis and stop further demolition of their houses.

It was also demanded that government should ensure payment to the transporters whose vehicles were set on fire in the past. The resolutions also condemned police for impounding their vehicles.

The committee demanded jobs for pakhtoons in industrial areas of Korangi, Landhi, New Karachi, and SITE.

It also demanded that the procedure of domicile and permanent residential certificate be made easier besides ensuring the enlistment of all pakhtoons in voters list.

Siddique Akbar of the Pakistan People’s Party, Sikandar Khan Yousufzai of Pukhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, Suidad Khan, Haji Amir Zaman Mehsood, Sultan Mandokhel, Afzal Khan and Amir Nawab also addressed the meeting and asked people to get united for their rights.