MQM's Save Sindh -- Save Pakistan Rally

MQM's Save Sindh -- Save Pakistan Rally -- News Update -- 14 August 1999

MQM MARCH -- MILLION MARCH

Mr. Altaf Hussain, MQM Founder and Leader, has been monitoring the entire MQM Rally throughout the day on minute to minute basis

Pakistan time: 6.45 p.m.
Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh is addressing the mammoth and most memorable MQM Rally at the Mazaar-e-Quaid.

Pakistan time: 6.30 p.m.
Senator Nasreen Jalil addressed the mammoth Rally. She also sang the National Anthem of Pakistan.

Pakistan time: 6.15 p.m.
After offering their respect to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan, the MQM leaders are now addressing the Rally. Dr. Farooq Sattar is making his speech.

Pakistan time: 6 p.m.
Mr. Hasan Musanna Alvi, Member of National Assembly of Pakistan and Member of MQM Co-ordination Committee, was stopped by the hoodlums of Pakistan Muslim League and the personnel of Police at Nazimabad in Karachi. He was accompanying around 200 women towards the MQM Rally. The personnel of Police molested the women and used Lathi charge on them. Mr. Hasan Musanna Alvi was also beaten up badly and had to be taken to the hospital for immediate medical treatment.

Pakistan time: 5.50 p.m.
The MQM's Save Sindh -- Save Pakistan Rally has reached the Mazaar of Quaid-e-Azam. Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, Senator Nasreen Jalil, Dr. Farooq Sattar, Senator Mustapha Kamal Rizvi, Mr. Kanwar Khalid Younus along with other leaders are about to enter into the Mazaar to offer Faatiha and lay down flowers at the tomb of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnad.

The length of the Rally stretched from Mazaar Quaid-e-Azam and goes back to Teen Hatti Bridge in Liaquatabad.

The MQM Rally was attended by peoples from all walks of life including, women, children and elders.

Pakistan time: 5.10 p.m.
The Police of Nawaz Sharif Government has intercepted and stopped the MQM rally protesting against the "Near Genocide" and "Identity Elimination" of Mohajirs and the MQM leaders, office bearers, workers, members and their relatives by the Nawaz Sharif Government.

The rally comprising of hundreds of thousands of people unprecedented in the recent history of Karachi, Pakistan was proceeding towards the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam but disrupted near Liaquatabad Police Station by the police with the view to split it to diminish its impact and portray to the people at home and abroad that it was unsuccessful and was not unprecedented.

According to the eyewitness accounts, the rally is termed as the "Sea of Humans" and the human eye can not see the other end. The figure quoted by the independent witnesses put the figure to exceed three quarter of a million. According to the reports, had the Authorities not banned and blockaded the protestors joining the rally, the attendance would have been unimaginable.

We have just now received information that the Authorities have revised their decision in the wake of public enrage and allowed half of the procession to proceed to the mausoleum.

Pakistan time: 5 p.m.
The Rally has reached Guru Mander in Karachi.

It has been reported that the MQM Rally has broken all the previous records and large number of people have joined the Rally.

Pakistan time: 4.30 p.m.
MQM Rally has now passed the Super Market in Liaquatabad, Karachi.

Pakistan time: 4.12 p.m.
The MQM Rally has reached Liaquatabad.

Pakistan time: 4.05 p.m.
Large number of public have gathered to participate in the MQM Rally. According to latest information the Rally will reach Liaquatabad from Azizabad in a short while. Several hundred cars and motorcycles are accompanying the Rally led by MQM leaders. At present the lenght of the Rally is estimated to be more than 8 kilometers. It is reported that other smallers rallies have also been organised by MQM area units in Karachi and they will join the main Rally to march towards the Mazaar of Quaid-e-Azam.

Pakistan time: 3.30 p.m.
MQM SAVE SINDH ---- SAVE PAKISTAN Rally initiates from Jinnah Ground, Azizabad towards the Quaid's Mazaar, after the telephonic address of Mr. Altaf Hussain.

Pakistan time: 2.40 p.m.
Mr. Altaf Hussain, Founer Leader of MQM, starts his telephonic address to the MQM's Save Sindh --- Save Pakistan Rally in Karachi.

Pakistan time: 02.00 p.m.

ALL NOTORIOUS POLICE OFFICERS WHO GAINED THE REPUTATION OF THE "BUTCHER OF KARACHI" FOR EXTRJUDICIALLY EXECUTING MOHAJIRS AND THE MQM WORKERS ARE PERSONALLY OVERSEEING THE SIEGE OF THE MQM HEAD OFFICE GENERALLY KNOWN AS "NINE ZERO" IN KARACHI.

Sarwar Commando, SHO (Station House Officer) Gulbahar Police Station, Chaudhry Aslam, DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) Nazimabad, Karachi former SHO but promoted to present position for eliminating the maximum numbers of Mohajirs and MQM workers extrajudicially, Azam Hayat, SHO Johar Abad Police Station, Ghazanfar Kazmi, SHO Azizabad Police Station are personally overseeing the siege of the MQM Head Office, generally known as "Nine Zero". These notorious "Butchers of Karachi" have brutally killed Mohajirs and MQM leaders, office bearers, workers, sympathisers and their relatives extrajudicially, unlawfully arrested and tortured them on the basis of their personal hatred for Mohajirs and the MQM and also on the expressed instructions of the successive governments on the basis of ethnicity and racism. It is imperative to note that some of these "Butchers of Karachi" voluntarily played the role of "Uncle Tom" to please their Masters of Punjab to colonise Sindh and Karachi as their colony.

Pakistan time: 12.20 p.m.

POLICE AND PML (PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUE-NAWAZ GROUP) SINDH CONSPIRES AND INCITE PML WORKERS TO ATTACK PEACEFUL RALLY OF THE MQM IN KARACHI.

According to the latest report, after having banned the MQM protesters to assemble and erected blockades in Karachi and far flung areas of Sindh province to stop busses and other transport carrying the protesters to reach Karachi, the Police Authorities approached MQM Senator Nasreen Jalil (Mrs) claiming that they are lifting the ban and blockades. Firstly, this is not true. Secondly, this is a ploy to sabotage the peaceful rally of the MQM by the Authorities since the rally time is 11.00 a.m. and they have approached the Senator around 12.p.m.

However, according to reliable sources, the Police, Frontier Constabulary are hatching conspiracies with the Pakistan Muslim League leaders including Ghaus Ali Shah, the PML political Agent for Sindh to incite the PML workers to attack the peaceful protestors of the MQM. This is being orchestrated with the view to portray the peaceful and democratic protests as violent and hence, a chance to fill the jail by arresting the protestors, already assembled in thousands despite ban and the blockades.

Followings are the precursors to our apprehensions:

DSP (Deputy Superintendent Police) Hyderabad has ordered the police to roll over their armoured vehicles on the MQM women protestors to crush them. Moreover, the DSP has also assembled the incited PML protestors who are fully armed with weapons and using violent and abusive language against the women with the view to launch an attack thus provoking the people of Hyderabad to respond.

Again in Hyderabad at Chori Para, electoral ward 20, the Police has resorted to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing at the protestors who were departing to Karachi to join the rally. The Police has arrested two MQM sympathisers.

In Orangi Town at Banaras Chowk, Karachi the Police and the Frontier Constabulary have stopped the protestors to board the busses and public transport. The Police and the Frontier Constabulary are brutally beating the protestors all over Sindh and in particular in Karachi.

Police raided and arrested MQM workers and supporters in Sukkur, Sindh Province. Entire City is cordoned off and people are stopped to prevent them attending the rally.

National and International Media is invited to take serious notice of such subversive activities of the PML Nawaz Sharif Government aimed at sabotaging the peaceful rally of the MQM.

Pakistan time: 10.30 a.m.
3, more MQM workers have been arrested belonging to the Mirpurkhas by the local police near the MQM zonal office namely Farooq s/o Mahboob Ali, Nadir and Abdul Rehman s/o Bundu Khan.

Pakistan time: 10 a.m.
The cordon off operation in Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Nawabshah and other urban centres of Sindh continues.

Pakistan time: 9.10 a.m.
Mr. Khalid Bin Waleed, Member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh and Mr. Nawab Mirza Advocate, former speaker of Sindh Assembly were also stopped from reaching Nine Zero by the Police. Abusive language was used.

Pakistan time: 9 a.m.
The SHO Ghazanfar Kazmi of Azizabad Police Station, in the presence of SSP Central, stopped Dr. Farooq Sattar and Senator Nasreen Jalil, misbehaved with them and threatened them in the presence of international media.

Children are being stopped from going to school to attend the Independence Day ceremonies.

Pakistan time: 8.15 a.m.
Senator Nasreen Jalil, Deputy Convenor of MQM and Dr. Farooq Sattar, Parliamentary Leader of the MQM and Member of MQM Co-ordination Committee, were also stopped and prevented by the law enforcement agencies from reaching Nine Zero, the MQM Head Office.

Pakistan time: 7.30 a.m.
Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, Deputy Convenor of MQM and Mr. Tariq Javed, Member of the National Assembly and Member of MQM Co-ordination Committee were stopped by the law enforcement agencies from reaching Nine Zero, the MQM Head Office.

Transporters in Karachi and Hyderabad have been threatened of dire consequences if they carry MQM workers and supporters to Jinnah Ground in Karachi.

Pakistan time: 7.10 a.m.
In Hyderabad, all the routes leading to Karachi are being blocked by heavy contingents of Police and Frontier Constabulary. No public vehicle is being allowed to leave Hyderabad. Similar situation is being witnessed in all the urban centres of Sindh, southern province of Pakistan, such as Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Nawabshah.

Pakistan time: 7.05 a.m.
Not even the Senators, Members of National Assembly of Pakistan and the Members of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh belonging to the MQM are being allowed to enter into the area.

Pakistan time: 6.40 a.m.
MQM Head Office Under Siege: Nine Zero, the MQM Head Office, in Federal B. Area, Karachi has been cordoned off by thousands of personnel of police and militia forces. This cordon off operation has been particularly carried out at the Jinnah Ground Azizabad, the starting point of the Rally. They are harassing and forcibly preventing the general public from entering into the area and nobody is allowed to leave. Unannounced curfew has been imposed to sabotage the MQM's Save Sindh -- Save Pakistan Rally, scheduled to be held today.

Pakistan time: 3.50 a.m.
The entire province of Sindh is under siege. Heavy contingents of Police and personnel of law enforcement agencies are patrolling on the streets. Indiscriminate raids and mass arrests of MQM leaders, office bearers, workers and supporters continue unabated. This is being carried out on the instructions of the Nawaz Sharif Government to sabotage the peaceful MQM Rally "Save Sindh -- Save Pakistan" on 14 August 1999.

More than 3000 MQM workers and supporters have been arrested so far from all over the urban centres of Sindh.

In the city of Mirpurkhas in Sindh, police have arrested more than 100 MQM workers and supporters. Those arrested include: Hafeez Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saleem Raza, Abdul Qadir, Fakhr Uddin, Mohammad Ali, Yousuf, Zakir Hussain (Sector Incharge), Fareed Alam, Abid Hussain Rajput (former vice chairman), Liaquat, Junaid Ahmed, Abdul Hafeez, Ghulam Haider, Abdul Ghani, Shakku Haider son of Shuja Haider, Khaleeq Ahmed (Unit Incharge) son of Mohammad Ibrahim, Mohammad Hanif Mughal son of Nizam Uddin, Aziz Ullah son of Barkat Ullah, Dildar son of Mukhtar, Aslam son of Mohammad Ali, Imran son of Hameed, Imbran son of Munshi Ahmed Ali, Asghar son of Mohammad Bakhsh, Mohammad Arif son of Mohammad Shareef, Nasir son of Kareem Bakhsh, Syed Shahid Hussain son of Afaq Hussain, Shahab Uddin son of Habib Ahmed, Arshad Ali son of Khursheed Ali, Zahoor Shah son of Imam Uddin, Fazal son of Nasr Uddin, Farooq son of Allah Noor, Mohammad Asghar son of Nizam Uddin, Mohammad Yameen son of Mohammad Sheraz. We are still waiting for further names of the MQM workers and supporters arrested from Mirpurkhas.