rise in ethno-political violence that continued till 2010,” said Imtiaz Khan Faran, a political analyst. “Hundreds of innocent people from the Pashtun and Mohajir communities have been killed in ethnic violence since then.”
In 2008 and 2009, the ANP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, coalition partners in then Pakistan People’s Party-led provincial government, had announced separate strike calls to commemorate the anniversary.
This had compelled the Sindh government to declare a holiday on May 12.
However, the ANP did not commemorate the anniversary in the following years.
The PkMAP has been the only party that has been observing the anniversary without any break.
“We have been commemorating the martyrs of that day every year. The government did not even compensate the heirs of Mehtab Afridi, who was killed on May 12,” said Lala.
Analysts believe that these political parties are again commemorating the anniversary not only to reclaim their support bases that they have lost to other parties in the city, but also to put pressure on the MQM, which has suffered setback in the law enforcement agencies’ ongoing crackdown.
Faran noted that these parties’ sudden decision to commemorate the day after a break of many years was surprising. “Commemorating the anniversary is a good gesture, but these political parties should avoid fanning ethnic hatred in their rallies,” he added.
A section of Pashtun leaders think that the ANP has been trying again to start politics in the city on the basis of ethnic hatred.
Qasim Jan, provincial general secretary of the ANP-Wali faction, said on May 12, 2007, activists of all political parties including the PPP, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had come out on the streets for the restoration of the deposed judiciary that day.
“However, the ANP has been exploiting the events of that day for its narrow-minded politics, despite receiving compensation money for their slain and injured workers from the government,” he maintained.
ANP-Wali chief Begum Naseem Wali, and its Sindh leaders, met with the leadership of the MQM and the Sindh United Party at Nine Zero and Haider Manzil respectively in November last year.