KARACHI: Veteran journalist Waqar Satti expressed his disapproval of the low turnout at the political rally conducted, where Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had advertised a large number of participants to a large extent, questioning the claims.
As per Satti, the gathering which took place at the large ground of Bagh-e-Jinnah, witnessed very poor attendance, even with Karachi having a large population of Afghan refugees and Pashto speakers. He informed that the 2023 census has recorded over 2.7 million Pashto speakers in Karachi and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has pointed out that around 300,000 to 350,000 Afghan nationals live in the city.
“PTI failing such a massive venue in light of the population size is a serious concern for the leadership,” Satti said. “The low turnout indeed makes it harder to believe in the party’s claims of massive support.”
Despite the efforts made to call in the supporters from every corner of the country, the rally met a disappointment. Satti hinted that this result is a clear signal of the party’s disconnection with the reality on the ground. “This situation speaks a very strong political message to the leadership,” he further added.
Satti, on the other hand, gave a mention to the organizations working for the welfare of the people in Karachi, like the JDC Foundation which, despite not doing much in the way of advertising or building up hype, serves free meals through its community kitchens. “Every day, much bigger numbers of people show up at places like the JDC Langar, but this is not politically motivated and there are no flashy campaigns,” he said. “This means that the public sentiment is different from that of PTI’s claimed supporters and it is the gap between the two that is being highlighted.”
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