HYDERABAD:
Sindhi nationalist leaders have disavowed a petition filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Sindh Peoples Local Government bill, 2012-a new law they have been fighting against as well.
The new piece of legislation was passed on October 1. It lays out the systems by which the province’s cities, towns and villages are to be managed. But because of the creation of five metropolitan centres the nationalists have argued it divides the province.
They argue that a court case diverts attention from a political struggle. “This is a plan to prevent Sindh’s people from a political struggle against the system,” said Ayaz Palijo, the chairman of the Awami Tehreek, at a press conference on Sunday.
He was flanked by Sindh United Party’s leader Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah and Sindh Taraqi Pasand’s Dr Qadir Magsi. These leaders are also a part of an electoral bloc called the Sindh Progressive Nationalist Alliance.
The petition has been filed by Barrister Zamir Ghumro. He cited some provisions of the law, contending that they were in conflict with Articles 2, 5, 9, 25, 97, 129, 130, 138, 142 and 175 of the country’s constitution. He requested the court, which took up the petition and summoned the officials named in it on November 8, to either declare the law ultra vires or the specified contradictions as illegal.
Although Ghumro is an active member of the Save Sindh Committee, his move to approach the court against the law has been impugned or challenged. “Sindh’s future is at stake,” said Dr Qadir Magsi. “A single lawyer can’t do this without taking into confidence all the political leaders, including the opposition parties, who are together a part of a movement againt the local government system.”
He stressed that matters of a political nature should not be taken to court.
The nationalist leaders condemned the murder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s local leader, Jalilur Rehman.
But they expressed fears that the incident may be a precursor to bringing the devil of targeted killings from Karachi to Hyderabad.
Jalal Mehmood Shah asked the provincial government to implement the orders of the Supreme Court to deweaponize Karachi and carry out the delimitation of the constitutencies. He added that the PPP government should also explain why it kept extending the parole of 35 hardened convicted criminals.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 5th, 2012.
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