Observer Report
Just a few weeks after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — comprising 11 Opposition parties — held a massive rally on October 18 here at Bagh-e-Jinnah, the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) planned a power show at the same venue on Sunday. Addressing the mammoth public gathering, PSP Chairman Mustafa Kamal lamented the opposition alliance-Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)- and said that none of their leaders spoke on the issues faced by the city during their Karachi rally.
He blamed Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for the issues faced by the Sindh province especially Karachi. “PPP remained in power in Karachi during the past 12 years, however, a speech from Bilawal Bhutto during the PDM rally gave an impression that his party had never ruled in the province,” he said while lamenting the provincial government.
He said that more than seven million children are out of schools in the province and there is a shortage of dog-bite vaccines even after the 12-year rule of the PPP in the province. “We have not witnessed such a situation in the history of this province,” he said adding that Bilawal Bhutto lied during the PDM rally and now Karachi would respond to him.
While terming PSP as the real stakeholder of the city, Mustafa Kamal said that gone are the days when the city was forced to shut down on a single call and when Karachi issues were set aside for political gains on a single call from Rehman Malik.
“We now own this city,” he said while announcing the PPP rule from Sindh is over from now onwards.
11 political parties under the PDM’s banner made an unsuccessful attempt to hold a rally at the Bagh-e-Jinnah, even after spending the taxpayers’ money to bring people over from across the province,” he said.
“During their rally, not a single leader bothered to talk about the miseries of the residents of the metropolis and all of them had sought to gain some vested political benefits.”
The PSP leader vowed to “reveal” what the real issues of Pakistan and Karachi are and “expose the lies” of the PDM leaders. “Today is the day of accountability of those responsible for the destruction of Karachi and Sindh,” he said.
Speaking of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Rs1.1-trillion Karachi package announced after heavy rains lashed the metropolis, Kamal said it is “in a true sense, just an eyewash, and a lollypop for the Karachiites”.
“The monetary package is still far from known. We will stop this game, now and forever,” he said, adding that the city did not need charity; the truth was that Karachi provided fiscal stimulus to the entire country.
“Karachi gives three thousand billions to the national kitty.” The PSP chief continued: “No one is running the affairs of Pakistan. The country is running on auto (mode) and political point scoring is being done at the expense of poor masses,” he said.
“The ruling PTI and the opposition are at loggerheads to prolong the government and gain political benefits, respectively, utterly disappointing the people.” Kamal said the PSP had “neither taken a U-turn nor was there any contradiction” in its leaders’ words and deeds.
