The Sindhi nationalists on Tuesday renewed their resolve to oppose the People Sindh Local Government Act 2012 (PSLGA-2012) tooth and nail until, as they dub it, the “anti-Sindh” law is abrogated. The reiteration came during a press conference held by Jalal Mehmood Shah, the convenor of Sindh Bachayo Committee (SBC), here at his residence. Shah was flanked by Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) Members Provincial Assembly Nusrat Sahar Abbasi and Jam Madad Ali Khan, Jamiat-e-Ulema-Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) leader Aslam Khan Ghauri and leader of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Muslim Parvez. The SBC, a platform of Sindhi nationalists that also enjoys the support of PML-N, PML-F, JI and JUI-F, vowed to continue its struggle against the “black law”.
In this regard, Shah said the SBC would hold a huge public meeting against the PSLGA-2012 in Benazirababd, the hometown of President Asif Zardari on January 24. He rejected the amendments to the law claiming that the law had divided the province into rural and urban Sindh. He, however, said that if the Sindh government sought the recommendations of the SBC, the committee would oblige by giving proposals regarding the local government law in the province. “The no-go areas in the metropolis should be eliminated while the Supreme Court’s verdict in Karachi law and order case should be implemented in letter and spirit,” demanded Shah.
He claimed that the officers who dared to tell the truth before the court had been transferred. Shah also demanded the removal of Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed whose inefficiency, he claimed, caused the death of some 525 children in the province due to measles. Furthermore, the SBC convener praised the Election Commission for its great work to correct the voter’s lists after seeking the recommendation of all stakeholders in the city. Replying to a query, Shah said that he was in agreement with the agenda of Dr Tahirul Qadri but the later failed to respond to his basic questions regarding the future line of action which led to his sides’ refusal to join the January 14 long march.
