Former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal said on Sunday that army operations alone will not solve the multiple problems facing the country.
Kamal was addressing crowds at Pak Sarzameen Party's (PSP) first ever public rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah.
"Army operations alone will not solve the problems facing Pakistan, but will create space for the government to practice good governance," stated Kamal.
He elaborated and said the space created by military operations needs to be filled by the introduction of good governance, which needs to have a positive impact on the lives of the people, lest evil forces once again fill the space.
Democracy at grass-root level
Referring to democracy in Pakistan, Kamal said, "We do not believe in democracy that only resides in the provincial and federal assemblies."
He added that democracy should start at grass-root level, which will truly benefit the people. Local government bodies need to be introduced to empower the people at large.
"We want the people to be NAB, we want the union councils which are answerable to their neighbourhoods," said Kamal.
"Ministers spending public funds in the name of development schemes is against the law and constitution of Pakistan, and are used to steal public funds," stated Kamal.
"Karachi will be again made into a city of lights, where the youth is employed and educated, where the people can live in peace and vote for who they want," stated Kamal while referring to Karachi.
Towards the end of his rather short public address, Kamal said he was grateful to all those who attended and to those who helped in arranging the public address.
Rally preparations
Earlier in the day, PSP leader Anis Kaimkhani said the party expected at least half a million attendees at the rally. He added that the party would arrange similar public gathering in Quetta, Peshawar and Lahore to 'silence their critics'.
Tracks leading to Saddar's parking plaza from PPP Chowrangi adjacent to the Quaid's mausoleum and the 45 Congress Crossing were closed to traffic, said a notification issued by the Deputy Inspector General Traffic, which said that MA Jinnah Road was open for traffic from Gurumandir to Tower
Prior to the rally, the party held a concert and family festival open to the public at a park near Mazar-i-Quaid on Saturday.Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leader Syed Mustafa Kamal on Sunday asked the government to give comprehensive democratic rights to the people of Karachi.
“The first step towards democracy is the local governance,” he said while addressing PSP’s first-ever political rally held in Karachi’s Bagh-e-Jinnah. “To build schools and mend sewage lines are not the work of assemblies. The MPAs are only responsible for making laws.”
The former Karachi mayor said his party has succeeded in sending its message across the people of Pakistan.
“We have set a world record of fetching so many people in the rally of our newly-created party. It has just been 30 days since we launched our party and thousands have come here to express their solidarity with us,” he added.
The former Senator said the army-led operations in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) would not solve the country’s problems. “The provincial and federal governments should fill the vacuum which is left by the army operations against terrorists. They should take care of works like setting up schools, water supply and cleaning sewage lines.”
The PSP leader announced that he will launch an exclusive political campaign in the country and will visit every corner of Pakistan. “I will go to every nook and corner of Pakistan, not for votes: I will tell them to stick to the ideology they follow, but at least give me a chance to tell you about my stance,” he said.
“When you return to your homes, streets tonight, embrace the people you fought. Befriend them and tell them that now no Pakistani will take life of another Pakistani,” Kamal added.
Kamal, who is a Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) dissident, announced to make public his party’s manifesto ‘very soon’. “We want our rights; water and power rights; development rights. There should not be any role in MNA’s or MPA’s in development projects,” he said.
Earlier, on their way to the venue of rally, Pak Sarzameen Party leaders, including Mustafa Kamal, Raza Haroon, Anis Ahmed Advocate and others, made a brief visit to the Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s mausoleum and offered fateha.
The PSP’s first-ever political rally came in the backdrop of several political leaders, mainly from the MQM, joined hands with the former Karachi mayor.
On Saturday, Kamal pulled two former members of the MQM’s coordination committee into his fledgling political party.
Talking to the media while flanked by new members Saif Yar Khan and Attaullah Kurd at PSP’s family festival at Bagh-e-Jinnah, Kamal said he has keen to end the reign of target killings in the metropolis and work for peace.
The newly-formed party of Kamal now has a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA and several MQM leaders who joined the former Karachi mayor after he announced to launch his own political party on March 3
Upon returning home from self-imposed exile last month, Kamal had launched a blistering attack on MQM supremo Altaf Hussain and challenged the ‘iron grip’ of the Karachi-based party on the city by forming a new party.
Kamal — who won wide support as mayor of Karachi from 2005 to 2010 for his efforts to ease traffic and improve public services — accused Altaf of working for India’s premier spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), destroying two generations of Mohajirs (Urdu-speaking people) and issuing threats under the influence of alcohol.
