The Save Sindh Committee (SSC) announced on Wednesday that it would besiege the Sindh Governor’s House on November 19 to protest the recently proposed local government system that inlcudes commissioners and nazims.
During a meeting held at Haider Manzil, the SSC said if a new local bodies ordinance is passed on Sunday, the day would be observed as a “black day” and all cities would be closed as the committee stages a province-wide protest.
The meeting was attended by leaders of SSC member parties, including Jalal Muhammad Shah, Bashir Qureshi, Barr Zamir Ghumro, Hanif Chandio and Qamar Bhatti.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Shah said the SSC would take out a protest rally and besiege the Governor’s House on November 19 as a protest. The rally would be organised against the ordinance issued by the governor for restoring the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO)-2001, and abandoning the act of restoring the LG system of 1979 as well as the commissionerate system in the province, added Shah. He said the validity of the ordinance issued by Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan would end on Sunday, November 6. If the governor issues another ordinance for the new LG system on Sunday, the SSC would announce a shutter-down strike and observe a “black day” to protest the illegal ordinance, he added.
The SSC had initially announced besieging the Governor’s House on November 3, but the protest was postponed after the demise of Begum Nusrat Bhutto.
In the meeting on Wednesday, the SSC leaders said the civil administration and the LG system are separate systems. Shah said the civil administration works under the constitution, whereas the LG system works under the laws passed by the provincial assemblies.
“The Pakistan People’s Party wants to divide Sindh in the name of reconciliation. We shall not allow it,” he added.