KARACHI, Dec 6 Various political parties and civil society organisations set aside their differences on Sunday and took out rallies from different parts of the metropolis to mark the first 'Sindhi Topi Day', highlighting the culture of the province in an impressive show of solidarity in their ranks. The Pakistan People's Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Awami National Party, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party and many other political, nationalist and social organisations took out separate rallies that converged at the Karachi Press Club. From the KPC they jointly marched up to the Sindh Assembly building.

The organisations also held separate programmes to highlight the Sindh's culture, sanctity of the traditional Sindhi cap and the Ajrak. Participants of these programmes wore shalwar-kameez and Sindhi caps with Ajraks slung over their shoulders.

The MQM organised a programme at Nine-Zero, its headquarters in Azizabad, to mark the day. Most MQM workers and supporters, including women and children, wore Sindhi caps and had Ajraks spread on their shoulders. They also danced in the streets to the tune of Sindhi folk music to celebrate the day.

The deputy convener of the MQM coordination committee, Anis Kaimkhani, spoke to the rally and said that by observing the Sindhi Topi Day, MQM leaders, workers and supporters had demonstrated their profound love for the soil of Sindh.

Participants of other programmes, organised by the PPP, ANP, STPP, PTI, JSQM and other parties, also marked the occasion with great fervour. Their leaders demanded that the Sindhi cap and Ajrak be declared part of national dress.

They described the cap and Ajrak as an identity of the Sindhi culture and a symbol of the Indus Valley civilisation.

Carrying flags of their respective political parties, as well as banners and placards, they demanded that Dec 6 be observed as the Sindhi Topi Day every year.

They were singing and dancing in the streets to the tune of Sindhi folk songs in a festive manner before

the assembly building, where Federal Minister for Health Mir Aijaz Jakhrani, Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza, provincial ministers and advisers Muzaffar Ali Shujra, Nadia Gabol, Khalid Bin Wilayat, Elahi Bux, Mohammad Ali Shah, Ali Hasan Chandio, Amin Khattak, Karamat Hussain, Dr Safdar Sarki and Qamar Bhatti made speeches and called for promoting the Sindh culture to discourage division of Sindh inhabitants on ethnic, religious, and all other grounds.

They highlighted the significance of the Sindhi cap and Ajrak as a symbol of respect and honour.

They passed a resolution urging the Sindh government to declare the Sindhi cap and Ajrak part of the national dress and make it part of school uniform in Sindh.

At another programme held at the People's Secretariat, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said the people of Sindh had rendered great sacrifices in the history of the subcontinent. He paid tribute to the participants of the Sindhi Topi Day programmes across Sindh.