Workers told to stay put as PSP rethinks protest strategy

Addressing party workers on the 11th day of the sit-in on Sunday, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Mustafa Kamal asked party workers to remain patient and wait for the party leadership to announce the next strategy of protest.

The PSP on April 16 kicked off an indefinite protest outside the Karachi Press Club against the Sindh government for keeping the city ‘deprived of its due rights’.

Kamal said that his party did not believe in the politics of violence, adding, that it was the 11th day that party leaders and workers were sitting at the press club calling for Karachi’s people to be given their basic civil rights.

He said the party was fully aware of the government’s insincerity in accepting the 16 points put forward by the PSP. “But we will not leave this place till our last breath,” the party chief claimed.

According to the PSP chief, the party’s protest has been successful as millions of people visited the camp without the party’s invitation.

Having rejected politics of violence, he warned the government that party workers could shut the entire city and lockdown the red zone on a single call.

“The PPP leaders visited us twice but we are fully aware that they are not sincere,” Kamal added.

He said it was unacceptable that the city which generates 70 percent of the country’s revenue does not have enough water or civic facilities.

“It is the 11th day of our protest but it seems that the rulers have not budged; but we will surround their ‘palaces’ to make them listen to our demands.”

Referring to the party’s senior leader Anis Qaim Khani, Kamal said that neither him (Anis Qaim Khani) nor his workers are here to become prime ministers but are at the sit-in only to demand people’s rights.

He reiterated that foreign donors should not give aid to the Sindh government since it was only being used for corruption.

In his address to party workers on the protest’s fourth day, he stated that the Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali  Shah recalled MQM founder Altaf Hussain but forgot that whenever a protest was lodged against him, former interior minister Rehman Malik  would dash to London to defuse the tension.

He said the party would continue with its protest till the people of Karachi are given their basic civil rights and facilities. “We will not allow those involved in looting and plunder of the city to go scot free.”

Responding to a question over what would the party do for the city if it was unable to supply water to it, Kamal said he had put in place – during his time as city mayor - a 50-year plan for the city but was scrapped by preceding rulers.

As for the under construction K-IV bulk water supply project, the PSP chairman said the project would be unable to provide water to the city. He added that he was ready to supervise a project to lay water supply lines without any expenditure.