Activist shot dead, police station set on fire as nationalists continue to protest

Several cars and buses were vandalised on the Sukkur bypass.

SUKKUR/ HYDERABAD: After months of debates, arguments and threats of joining the opposition, when Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad shook hands over the final draft of the local government ordinance last month, the nationalists vowed to protest every step of the way.

When the Sindh Assembly gave the ordinance a green light in Monday’s session, the nationalists said they could continue to fight. The ordinance, according to the nationalists, is a plot to divide Sindh.

In order to show their anger at the government’s alleged betrayal, the nationalists, led by Sindh United Party’s (SUP) Jalal Mahmood Shah, held their third province-wide strike on Monday. Shutters across Sindh were pulled down and there was no public transport available in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Rohri, Pannu Aqil, Ghotki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro, Daharki, Shikarpur, Kashmore, Kandhkot, Jacobabad, Thul, and Tangwani.

Activists from SUP, Awami Tehreek (AT), Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) and other nationalist parties organised rallies and chanted slogans against the government. Some also burnt tyres in protest.

As President Asif Ali Zardari celebrated the passage of the local government ordinance in London, outrage against it erupted more vehemently in his hometown as compared to than other parts of the province. A nationalist worker was killed and five others were injured while a police station was set on fire as protesters clashed with the police in Shaheed Benazirabad. Workers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and National Peoples Party (NPP) hung brooms, pans and bangles outside the residences of several Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPAs, including Tariq Masoor Arain, Sikandar Mandhr and Imdad Pitafi.

“Today, the PPP has come out as a traitor,” said the chairperson of the Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party, Dr Qadir Magsi at a three-hour sit-in on the National Highway. “The people of Sindh trusted them. Look at what they [the PPP] have done.”

In Sukkur, the main bazaars and business centres remained closed. Several cars and buses were vandalized on the Sukkur bypass. In support of the nationalists, the lawyers boycotted court proceedings and protested on Minara Road. They were led by the vice-chairperson of the Sindh Bar Council, Ghulam Mohammad Abbasi and the president of Sukkur Bar Association, Hadi Bux Bhatt. “We condemn the local government ordinance. It is aimed at breeding hate among the people of Sindh,” he said while talking to the media. “The lawyers will also protest tomorrow. We will not stop till the government withdraws the ordinance. By going through with the ordinance, the PPP has made it clear that they are working against the interests of Sindh.” Lawyers also boycotted court proceedings in Naushero Feroz.

In Khairpur, the police arrested three workers affiliated with JSQM. In protest, the party workers staged a protest at the railway station. Sit-ins were held at the Shah Hussain bypass, Thehri bypass and the Gambat bypass.

Protests were organised outside Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro’s house in Rehmatpur Mohalla, Larkana. The protesters hung strings of bangles on the gate. They also staged similar protests outside MNA Nazir Bughio’s house in Resham Street and Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro’s house in Shaikh Zaid Colony.

In Karachi, protests were held in Shanti Nagar, Sachal Goth and Malir.

The Save Sindh Committee has decided to hold a meeting to decide on what their course of action will be in Karachi on October 3. Leaders from the Pakistan Muslim Leagues-Nawaz, Awami National Party, PML-F, NPP and Jamaat-e-Islami are expected to attend.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2012.