HYDERABAD, May 5: The central committee of the Awami Tehrik has warned that a political party will be signing its death warrant if it attempts to create hurdles to the reinstatement of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry and other deposed judges in the name of so-called constitutional package or any other lame excuse.

The meeting presided over by party chief Rasool Bux Palijo in Qasimabad on Sunday, said that 160 million people of the country wanted supremacy of law, constitution and parliament and they would not accept or tolerate any unconstitutional dispensation.

The meeting demanded restoration of pre-Nov 3 judiciary and urged the government to send packing the PCO judges, who were appointed by Gen Pervez Musharraf unconstitutionally.

The meeting was of the opinion that Mr Musharraf was a security risk and democracy and human rights were in grave danger, therefore, he should be summarily removed.

Palijo later said at a briefing at the press club about the decisions taken at the meeting and demanded that the ongoing army operation in Balochistan and Pukhtoon areas should be ended, proposal for Kalabagh Dam project should be abandoned forever, Chashma-Jehlum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals should be closed, illegal work on Greater Thal Canal should be stopped and Sindh should be given its due share in water.

Palijo demanded that thousands of criminal cases against ‘terrorists’, which had been withdrawn, should be reopened and challaned in courts and conspiracies against Sindh should be stopped forthwith.

He said that the governor of Sindh should be removed, Karachi city government should be dissolved and Hyderabad district should be restored to its original position by removing the district government.

He strongly criticised the waiver of loans to the tune of billions of rupees advanced to capitalists, bureaucrats and politicians and demanded that the loans should be recovered from the previous government and cases should be registered against the defaulters.

He said that the central committee had decided to stage demonstrations and hunger strikes throughout Sindh on May 7, 8, 9 and 10 for the restoration and supremacy of constitution and law, restoration of sacked judges, release of irrigation water for Sindh and other burning issues.

Palijo strongly opposed the inclusion of alleged perpetrators of May 12, Oct 18 and April 9 bloody incidents in the government and demanded that all the Sindhi villages in Karachi should be regularised. Palijo announced that his party would commemorate May 12 as martyrs’ day and hold public meetings and demonstrations throughout Sindh.

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