JI women’s only sit-in held against controversial LG law

JI leaders say daughters of Karachi on roads demand their due rights

KARACHI:

Thousands of women on Thursday held a sit-in at the main University Road in Karachi against the PPP government in SIndh for bulldozing a bill in the Sindh Assembly that further squeezed the already curtailed powers of the local government setup.

The sit-in exclusively held by women was staged in connection with the JI's sit-in being held outside the Sindh Assembly building for the past 21 days.

JI Women Wing General Secretary Durdana Siddiqui, head of Sindh chapter Rukhahinda Muneeb and head of Karachi chapter Asma Safeer presided over the sit-in. It is worth mentioning here that the sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly building continued during the Sit-in.

Engr Naeemur Rehman while addressing the female protesters said that the JI has launched a historic and the most prolonged sit-in in the history of Karachi. He made it clear that the JI Welcomes only meaning full dialogues.

He expressed his vow to continue the struggle for the megalopolis. We will not bow down, neither compromise on the due rights of Karachities, he said. On the 21st day of the sitin, the JI leader announced that a big party convention would be held on Sunday, January 3, to be addressed by JI Pakistan Ameer Sirajul Haq.

Reiterating his demands, he said that the megalopolis deserves an empowered mega city government and would not be able to survive if the federal and the provincial governments do not change their policies.

He asked the provincial ministers to carefully read the Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance 1972 and provide the same powers to city government setup as mentioned in the law constituted by none other than Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

He said that the black local government bill was passed on the basis of majority in the provincial assembly despite the fact that its content was totally in violation of the constitution.

The JI leader said that the city generates 95 percent revenue for the province, contributes in revenue for the center by 70 percent, it also contributes in exports by 54 percent and generates 42 percent of total tax collection in the country.

However, he maintained, the city was facing acute water shortage, infrastructure crises, shortage of electric supply and a very deep crises of gas among other issues. Engr Naeem said both the center and the province are treating Karachi like a step daughter. JI leaders Osama Razi, Syed Abdul Rasheed and others also addressed the sit-in.