HYDERABAD, Oct 13: Blaming the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for organising the Oct 15 rally in Hyderabad to celebrate the passage of the Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance, 2012 into law with the aim of dividing the province, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) chairman Dr Qadir Magsi on Saturday announced that the day would be observed as a ‘black day’.

Speaking at a press conference at the Naseem Nagar roundabout, where his party workers have been observing a hunger strike, he said STP workers holding black flags would line up along the route of the PPP rally participants on Monday. He also announced that his party would intensify the ongoing movement against the law by starting ‘resistance’ after Eidul Azha.

He claimed that the new local government law had been rejected by people of the entire Sindh, and said that the Sindh Bachayo Committee (SBC) — a conglomerate of several Sindh-based nationalist and political parties — was very much in a position to bring 500,000 opponents of the law to the streets of Karachi if the ruling coalition had any doubt. “Continued protests by people in almost all cities and towns of Sindh since the approval of the law by the assembly do reflect the aspirations of the masses,” he said.

Dr Magsi said that the new local government law was absolutely controversial and its immediate repeal was a popular demand.

The Aug 13, 2011 strike observed across Sindh on the call of STP was also reflective of the people’s aspirations, he added.

He rejected the Sindh information minister’s allegation that the movement against the law was sponsored by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), saying that nationalist forces had the potential not only to safeguard the interests of Sindh on their own but also to defeat ‘traitors’ in election.

The STP leader said that the SBC would hold a public meeting in Tando Mohammad Khan on Oct 22 in connection with its intention to adopt the path of resistance.Sindh United Party acting president Syed Shah Mohammad Shah told the news conference that the entire police set-up was employed to make arrangements for PPP’s Monday rally. He claimed that as many as 30 ministers and 45 MPAs were present in Hyderabad to oversee the arrangements.

He severely criticised Senior Minister for Education and Literacy Pir Mazharul Haq for what he took as a ‘personal attack’ while speaking to the media on Oct 10, and said that the PPP leader had a dubious political character.