Crackdown on Rawadari March denounced

The nationalist parties have condemned the police crackdown on the participants of Sindh Rawadari March in Karachi and the arrest scores of activists and workers of the nationalist parties.

Qomi Awami Tehreek President Ayaz Latif Palijo in a statement on Sunday condemned the arrest of President Jeay Sindh Mahaz Riaz Ali Chandio, leader of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz Dr Niaz Kalani and several writers, poets and activists.

Both of the leaders were rounded up in late night raids on Saturday from their respective residences in Hyderabad. Palijo deplored that the police had also raided residences of several other leaders and activities including Punhal Sario and Sindhu Nawaz Ghangro.

He demanded that the bureaucracy and the police officers who ordered use of force against peaceful protesters should be apprehended and booked in FIRs and the detained protesters should be released immediately.

"Today's police action has again laid bare the real face authoritarianism of Pakistan Peoples Party." He said the PPP only pretends to be democratic in its political approach but the fact is that strains of dictatorship are evident in its governance of the province. The QAT president argued that the police brutality on peaceful protesters demanding justice for Dr Shahnawaz Kumbhar was totally uncalled for.

Separately, a meeting of the JSM condemned the arrest of its leader Chandio as well as of Dr Kalani and demanded their immediate release.

Sindh Taraqipasand Party Chairman Dr Qadir Magsi while denouncing the police action said the government is conspiring to pit the nationalist parties against the religious elements. "The provincial government should apologise to the participants of Rawadari March for its illegal and unwarranted assault. Even our sisters and daughters were roughed up and dragged on roads."

He also strongly condemned the arrest of Chandio and Dr Kalani. "If all the arrested workers and activists aren't released by Sunday night, we will announce a protest strategy on Monday [October 14]." He blamed the Sindh police for once again playing its evil part. "There is no one to stop Afghan refugees and extremist elements brandishing weapons as they move through the cities of Sindh. But peaceful and unarmed protesters have been roughed up very badly."

Dr Magsi said the march was meant to send a message against religious extremism and the blatant violations of the law being rampantly committed by the police with Dr Kumbar's extra judicial murder being a glaring example. "Being a Muslim I reiterate that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the last Messenger of the Allah Almighty. We can never support blasphemy. But we can also never condone religious extremism and violence." Different factions of Jeay Sindh Tehreek also expressed their condemnation.