Wheel jam strike: ‘If you’re not with us, you’re against us on Saturday’
Article 6 should be used against people trying to break the province.
KARACHI:
To protest the legal amendment on creating new provinces, the Sindh Bachayo Committee is organising a complete shutter-down strike next Saturday, January 28 across the province.
At the Sindh United Party’s (SUP) headquarters, leaders of different nationalist parties met to discuss how to stop the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) from creating new provinces via the 20th amendment.
“The government is playing with fire in order to satisfy the MQM,” said SUP chief Jalal Mehmood Shah. “Any attempt to pass this unconstitutional amendment will be met with full resistance.”
The committee claimed that Article 6 of the constitution, which deals with treason, should be used against people supporting the amendment to Article 239 (4) on creating new provinces. They said that according to the constitution, creating new provinces must be discussed in provincial assemblies before the matter is brought up in parliament. They added that they have always supported a Hazara or Seraiki province but only if the people of that area initiate it, not the government.
Ayaz Latif Palijo of the Awami Tehreek said that they condemned the Speaker of the National Assembly, Fehmida Mirza, for letting this bill be presented in the assembly, especially since she was a daughter of Sindh. According to Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party’s chief Qadir Magsi, the PPP is voted in by Sindhis and promises to defend their rights but when the going gets tough it is nowhere to be seen. He said that the PPP and MQM must have struck a deal as the MQM has no stake in a Hazara or Seraiki province. He added that the PPP was probably behind it.
As the discussion heated up, the nationalist leaders got more aggressive in their rhetoric. “We can create the same kind of situation as we did on August 13,” said Magsi while referring to a strike against removing the comissionerate system in 2011. “The ministers and senators couldn’t even enter their homes.”
At least eight people were killed and several vehicles were torched during the strike although the committee had insisted that it would be peaceful. Palijo said that those people who did not go on strike with them would be declared enemies of the province.
Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz’s Bashir Qureshi, Jeay Sindh Mahaz’s Riaz Ali Chandio, Sindh National Front’s Ayub Shar, Sindh Dost Democratic Party’s Zamir Ghumro, Awami Jamhoori Party’s Hanif Chandio and Jeay Sindh Qaum Parast Party’s Qamar Bhatti were present.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2012.
To protest the legal amendment on creating new provinces, the Sindh Bachayo Committee is organising a complete shutter-down strike next Saturday, January 28 across the province.
At the Sindh United Party’s (SUP) headquarters, leaders of different nationalist parties met to discuss how to stop the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) from creating new provinces via the 20th amendment.
“The government is playing with fire in order to satisfy the MQM,” said SUP chief Jalal Mehmood Shah. “Any attempt to pass this unconstitutional amendment will be met with full resistance.”
The committee claimed that Article 6 of the constitution, which deals with treason, should be used against people supporting the amendment to Article 239 (4) on creating new provinces. They said that according to the constitution, creating new provinces must be discussed in provincial assemblies before the matter is brought up in parliament. They added that they have always supported a Hazara or Seraiki province but only if the people of that area initiate it, not the government.
Ayaz Latif Palijo of the Awami Tehreek said that they condemned the Speaker of the National Assembly, Fehmida Mirza, for letting this bill be presented in the assembly, especially since she was a daughter of Sindh. According to Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party’s chief Qadir Magsi, the PPP is voted in by Sindhis and promises to defend their rights but when the going gets tough it is nowhere to be seen. He said that the PPP and MQM must have struck a deal as the MQM has no stake in a Hazara or Seraiki province. He added that the PPP was probably behind it.
As the discussion heated up, the nationalist leaders got more aggressive in their rhetoric. “We can create the same kind of situation as we did on August 13,” said Magsi while referring to a strike against removing the comissionerate system in 2011. “The ministers and senators couldn’t even enter their homes.”
At least eight people were killed and several vehicles were torched during the strike although the committee had insisted that it would be peaceful. Palijo said that those people who did not go on strike with them would be declared enemies of the province.
Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz’s Bashir Qureshi, Jeay Sindh Mahaz’s Riaz Ali Chandio, Sindh National Front’s Ayub Shar, Sindh Dost Democratic Party’s Zamir Ghumro, Awami Jamhoori Party’s Hanif Chandio and Jeay Sindh Qaum Parast Party’s Qamar Bhatti were present.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2012.