HYDERABAD, Sept 8: A group of lawyers responding to a call given by the Workers of Progressive Lawyers Forum and the Sindh National Movement staged two separate demonstrations against the Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance (SPLGO), 2012 and appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to declare it null and void.

They assembled at the sessions court and marched up to the local press club raising slogans against Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah.

The rally was led by Khuda Bux Leghari and Ayaz Hussain Tunio.

Speaking to the protesters, the leaders said the SPLGO would create hatred among people of Sindh. “The ordinance is against the Constitution which prohibits enactment of any law that discriminates against any section of people,” they said, alleging that the governor and the chief minister signed the ordinance “in the darkness of night in a way robbers and thieves commit crimes”.

Demanding annulment of SPLGO in the larger interest of people, they said that the ordinance would have a negative effect in future. “It seems to be a conspiracy to divide Sindh, which has historical importance,” and declared that Sindh would not be allowed to be divided.

The rally supported the province-wide strike call for Sept 13 given by the Sindh Bachayo Committee (Save Sindh Committee) against the promulgation of the ordinance and appealed to all political and religious parties to play their role in getting the ordinance annulled.

Meanwhile, a group of Sindh National Movement (SNM) workers also staged a protest demonstration against the SPLGO outside the local press club and raised slogans against the government. SNM Hyderabad district chief Mumtaz Leghari speaking to the protesters demanded immediate repeal of the ordinance.

KHAIRPUR: Members of the District Bar Association on Saturday took out a rally against promulgation of the People’s Local Government Ordinance, 2012.

The rally, led by Khairpur DBA president Manzoor Hussain Ansari, who belongs to the People’s Lawyers Forum, started from the DBA office and ended at Mariam Taup Chowk via Katchehry Road.

Participants of the rally raised slogans against the ordinance and demanded its immediate repeal.

Mr Ansari, former DBA chief Shafqat Mahesar, Allah Warayo Soomro, Ahmed Ali Shahani and other lawyers spoke to the protesters and vowed to resist the SPLGO ordinance as well as all other such laws introduced by dictators. They questioned the government’s move to restore the local government system through ordinance instead of the provincial assembly.

They said that lawyers, civil society organisations and people of Sindh would never endorse the ordinance and wage a strong movement against restoration of local governments under the SPLGO.

They also slammed the recent decision of changing the name of the Sindh Medical University, Karachi, and claimed that such decisions were part of a conspiracy being hatched against Sindh.

Dawn Report