STPP protests against ‘PTI’s plan’ to take over Karachi’s affairs

Showing their anger over the federal government’s alleged plan to “take over control of the administrative affairs” of Karachi, the Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party (STPP) on Sunday afternoon organised a sit-in near the Governor House against the proposed Karachi Committee and what they called “a plot” to implement Article 149.

Led by Dr Qadir Magsi, the head of the STPP, a Sindhi nationalist group, hundreds of party activists, members of other nationalist groups and civil society activists attended rally titled “Karachi is Sindh Peace March”.

On Sunday morning, the rally started from the Malir district and ended at the Fawara Chowk, where the rally turned into a sit-in and a public gathering near the Governor House. The STTP leaders flayed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s federal government and Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem for allegedly planning to control Karachi. They said that they would not allow the Karachi Committee and Article 149 implementation plot to succeed.

They also criticised the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan for tabling a bill in the National Assembly proposing an amendment in Article 239-4 of the constitution to centralise the devolved authority of creating new provinces from a province.

“Since the PTI government has come to power, different propositions have been floated, all aimed at dividing Sindh,” said Magsi. “Karachi is the lifeline of the people of Sindh and we will fight till the last drop of our blood to save it.”

He said that we are sending a message to the Centre through its representative sitting in the Governor House. The STTP chief also appreciated the Sindh Assembly to pass a resolution against the efforts to the divide the province.

Observing that the PTI government was trying to inject life into the MQM-Pakistan, speakers at the gathering appealed to leaders of the Grand Democratic Alliance’ component parties, such as the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F), to part ways with the PTI government over the issue. They said that the MQM-P had not abandoned its past politics of fomenting ethnic divisions.