The Mystery of PTI`s Karachi Sit-In!

It was not surprising to see the PTI leadership as well as its workers making big claims about the success of their sit-in as it is very common to see similar claims from almost every party and its supports about their political achievements. I do not remember any party ever confessed that they had failed to gather people in the number they had wanted to.

However, the disappointing factor is when so-called neutral anchorpersons, political analysts and TV channels start becoming a party for or against other political parties.

Although Imran Khan came to Karachi, addressed his people and soon went back to wherever he came from, but some specific media-men are still beating the drum of the success of PTI`s Karachi jalsa. For the sake of proving it as the most historic of the city, they are not hesitating to pass such remarks for maligning MQM which hurt the feeling of its supporters and voters.

Regarding the PTI`s recent sit-in, there are different estimates of the number of people who attended it. These estimates are ranging from 16,000 to 700,000. PTI`s Anas Mallick claimed in his tweet that the area reserved for PTI`s gathering could accommodate about 176,000 people. On the other hand, Geo, via Police sources, reported that about 3,500 to 4,000 chairs had been placed in the venue and the empty space, in front of the stage, could be occupied by 1,500 to 2,000 people. Regardless of all, one TV channel showed the arial view of the sit-in in which the front space was full of people, but the back chairs were empty even by late evening. Considering all these, it is not very difficult to estimate the number of people who were present to listen to IK.

However, if someone still has any difficulty in making an estimate of the number of people, then he can visualize the same crowd present on the road (the venue), in the “Bagh-e-Jinnah” ground and compare it with the PTI`s previous gathering in 2011, he would easily conclude if the recent PTI`s show was successful.

It is on record that after the PTI`s Jalsa in “Bagh-e-Jinnah”, Karachi on 25<sup>th</sup> December 2011, almost all the anchorpersons and political analysts declared it the biggest public gathering of the city. They said, “After this PTI`s show, MQM must be seriously worried and it would not be sure if it might ever gather so many people to beat PTI`s record.” But, these media-men did not have to wait longer to see MQM`s response to them. MQM organized a women`s gathering at the same place which was attended by so big number of women that there would hardly be any single example of such a big gathering of only women anywhere in the world. Of course, it was MQM`s about half political strength as it was only women`s procession, and needless to mention that generally men are more than women in a political party.

Logically, all those anchorpersons and political analysts who were eagerly awaiting MQM`s political response, must have raised the same question to PTI leadership too saying, “After this MQM`s show, PTI must be seriously worried and it would not be sure if it might ever gather so many people to beat MQM`s record.”

However, despite witnessing the record setting women`s gathering from MQM as a response to PTI`s challenge, none of them uttered a single word for PTI; there was a complete silence from them which once again exposed their bias against MQM. No matter, anyone forwarded this or not, but MQM`s women Jalsa was a big challenge to PTI leadership and it had to respond it if it wanted to politically compete with MQM. Logically, the 21<sup>st</sup> September`s gathering had to be a response. But, what happened? Instead of organizing its gathering at the same battle field, i.e., Baghe-Jinnah ground, it held it on a nearby road. Why? Is that road wider than the Bagh-e-Jinnah? Was that not an on obvious confession of PTI that not speaking of holding a bigger jalsa against MQM, it had altogether failed to maintain even its previous position? The analysts altogether ignored that very crucial point.

Question is, if MQM had held any of its procession not inside the Jinnah ground, but on the road adjacent to it and had claimed to have gathered more people, would the Pakistan-media and the political rivals have so easily digested its claim in the same way as they did PTI`s recent show?

Once a journalist quoted his senior`s words defining a news piece to be reported. He said, “This is no news that a dog has bitten a man. In fact, when a man bites a dog, this is the real news”. It seems that the Pakistani media has been following the same principle for Karachi. All the happenings which look to be going in MQM`s favor are ignored considering as routine news pieces. On the other hand, the maliciously projected or planted happenings which may be used against MQM are highlighted the most.

This is the biased policy which has been followed against MQM and its voters since 80`s. The only purpose of this is to malign and politically wipe it out from the political scene. It appears as “someone” has directed the Pakistani media and MQM`s political rivals to keep striking against its vote bank with the message, “I want Karachi, not MQM”. But, these evil-minded people forget that they have been going older by hatching evil conspiracies against MQM, in contrast to it, it has being growing matured and matured by successfully passing through all. Insha Allah, the on-going attempt will also go in vain soon.