- Taj Haider expresses concern over IA Rehman’s press conference on Karachi operation, says PPP refrains from interfering in LEAs work but does not hesitate to put forth lives for human rights
KARACHI
NNI
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindh General Secretary Senator Taj Haider has expressed reservations on the press conference of IA Rehman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on the Karachi operation.
The senator expressed disappointment that even after giving sacrifice of about 1,000 PPP workers in Karachi, a tragic process which continued till date, the party was being blamed for not owning Karachi.
“The HRCP delegation visiting the PPP Sindh Secretariat saw that there was no space left for putting up the pictures of PPP martyrs in the Martyr’s Gallery. How many more PPP martyrs does HRCP need to issue us an ownership certificate of the city?” Haider questioned.
With the sole aim and purpose of survival and consolidation of democracy in Pakistan, PPP had been following a ‘policy of reconciliation’, he said.
“We have done so at great cost to the party in terms of lives of its valiant workers. HRCP delegates living in the secure environments of Lahore have opted to put all political parties together in their one bag of denunciation. One wonders what stops HRCP from differentiating between political parties when the role and conduct of each one of them is public knowledge and is known to HRCP.”
The senator said that he had informed the HRCP delegates that during the current operation more than 70 “innocent” PPP workers were arrested, however, they remained “quite” in order to allow the law enforcement agencies to work freely.
“Respected IA Rehman Sahib chose not to say a single word about these gallant persons who have put their lives on line for securing peace,” he lamented.
Haider pointed out that the State structure has for long periods under military dictators operated as an anti-people oppressive force. No one knows it better than the leaders and workers of PPP and of course respected activists of the HRCP, he held.
“They were witnesses to what we suffered. Protection of human rights remains our top priority both in the government and in opposition. Our job entails both the aspects of bringing peace and transforming the State institutions to play the role of public servants,” he said.