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KARACHI: The Facebook generation on Sunday was conspicuous by its absence at the venue of the first public address of Pervez Musharraf, widely believed to have following among ‘enlightened moderates’, in Karachi as the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief.
While most people had come from the interior of Sindh by public transport to reach a ground near the Quaid’s mausoleum to listen to the former president of Pakistan speak via a satellite link, people from middle class and more affluent areas of the city were hard to find.
A few private cars were seen parked near the ground though a number of minibuses, coaches and buses were parked on the adjoining roads of Mazar-i-Quaid and Shahrah-i-Quaideen.
APML banners having pictures of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Mr Musharraf as well as those inscribed with a price comparison of basic commodities in the years 2008 and 2011 were displayed at the venue.
A majority of the participants in the public meeting had come from Sujawal and Mirpurkhas.
Most of them were wearing caps inscribed with the name of Sardar Ghulam Mustafa Khaskheli. “Khaskheli sahib has sent us to Karachi for the jalsa,” Allah Dino, 35, who had come from Sujawal to attend the event, told Dawn.
Holding green party flags, a group of residents had come to the venue from Landhi in a Metro bus. However, they were not forthcoming in sharing information with Dawn. They only said they had come to attend the jalsa.
Also people belonging to the Bengali-speaking community in the city were seen in the ground as some of them returning from a rally held earlier during the day on M.A. Jinnah Road decided to attend the APML event.
Some students of a nearby religious seminary, situated along Jamshed Road, were found keenly watching the proceedings though they did not enter the ground.
Among the organisers, some local youths were seen looking after the management outside the venue though they appeared to lack enthusiasm that is generally seen in political gatherings.
Walkthrough gates were installed at the entrance but apparently no serious effort had been made by the organisers to ensure security at the venue.
Visitors were not being frisked. Similarly, many people were seen entering the ground in a disorderly manner without passing through the security gates.
Apparently, the city administration was also not expecting a mammoth crowd as no elaborate arrangements for traffic were made for the occasion.
