HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TOOK PART IN THE MQM'S PEACEFUL "SAVE SINDH -- SAVE PAKISTAN" RALLY ON THE INDEPENDENCE DAY OF PAKISTAN IN KARACHI

Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) the third largest political party of Pakistan and the second largest in Sindh province organised a "Save Sindh --- Save Pakistan Rally" today. Nawaz Sharif Government for the last three days used all its brute force including the police, intelligence agencies and frontier constabulary to stop the rally. Thousand of MQM leaders, office bearers, workers and supporters have been arrested from all over the urban centres of Sindh. Elected Senators, Members of National and Provincial Assembly belonging to the MQM were threatened.

Today, heavy contingents of Police and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the entire area surrounding "Nine Zero", the MQM Head Office, to prevent the MQM leaders, workers and supporters from participating in the peaceful rally. Thousands of police personnel cordoned off the Jinnah Ground, the starting point of the Rally to deter and terrorise the public. Furthermore, all the entrances to Karachi were blocked by the Administration and no one was allowed to enter into the city. Residents of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur, Nawabshah and other urban centres of Sindh were not allowed to leave for Karachi. All the exits were heavily patrolled by the law enforcement agencies. Bus and Railway Stations were forcibly stopped so that none of the MQM workers, supporters and members of the public could have managed to leave for Karachi.

In spite of all the illegal, unconstitutional and strong arm tactics used by the Nawaz Sharif Government to threaten and prevent the general public from participating in the peaceful rally organised by the MQM, the Administration failed to stop the general public from joining the Independence Day celebrations and the MQM's Save Sindh -- Save Pakistan Rally. Hundreds of thousands of general public including women, children, elders and people from all walks of life took part in the Rally.