THATTA, Sept 13 The opposition lawmakers and former district nazim have alleged that the August 26 breach in Molchand-Surjani (MS) bund at Kot Aalmo was man-made and “masterminded by provincial home minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza in connivance with two PPP legislators, an adviser to chief minister and the DCO of Thatta.”

Speaking at a news conference at press club here on Sunday, PML-Q MNA Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi, former district nazim Syed Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi and former provincial adviser Syed Aijaz Ali Shah Shirazi claimed that they had adequate proof of their claim and called for a judicial inquiry by the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court into the issue.

Shafqat Shirazi said that on the night of August 26, he was present at the vulnerable site of Surjani bund where the superintendent engineer, lower Pinyari sub-division of the irrigation department, Junaid Memon, told him that the MS Bund had ruptured at Kot Aalmo.

Shafqat Shirazi said he rushed to the site of the breach, reached there in 15 to 20 minutes and found PPP MNA Dr Wahid Soomro, MPA Sadiq Ali Memon, adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Coastal Development Authority Ghulam Qadir Malkani and DCO Thatta Manzoor Ali Shaikh sitting on cots near the site of breach.

Shafqat Shirazi said that he was astonished that how they had reached the site of breach within few minutes.

He alleged there were two agendas behind the men-made breach one being to teach a lesson to the population of Sujawal sub-division for electing the Shirazis and secondly the rupture would ultimately open doors of funds from world over and, on the pretext of rescue, relief and rehabilitation these amounts would be diverted into the pockets of ruling party politicians and bureaucrats.

Mr Shirazi said he had been notified as the member of district flood committee but neither he nor the MNA and two MPAs of Shirazi group had ever been called in any meeting of the committee or taken into confidence by the law makers of treasury benches as well as the district administration on the subject.

SUJAWAL He said the flood water was receding in Sujawal town and so far 15 to 20,000 people have returned to their homes, but Hesco, despite repeated approach, has not restored electricity of the town as yet.

He said about 200,000 people were still residing in border districts, including Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan, Hyderabad, Karachi, and a majority on the bunds along Tando Hafiz Shah, Ghorabari, Raju Nizamani, Mulla Katiyar, Pir Patho, Keenjhar, Chillya etc. but none of them had been receiving proper meal.

He said from Monday MNA Ayaz Shah Shirazi, MPA Shah Hussain Shah and other Shirazi group leaders would stage a sit-in in front of DCO office and continue it till acceptance of their demands, including judicious distribution of relief items among the IDPs and an end to corruption, political victimisation in the district and initiation of a judicial inquiry.

He announced that MNA Ayaz Ali Shah Shirazi would stage a sit-in outside the National Assembly in Islamabad on resumption of next NA session.

PROTEST Around 2000 IDPs — led by Ayaz Shirazi, Shah Hussain Shirazi, Shafqat Shirazi and Aijaz Shirazi — marched from Makli incline to DCO office on Monday.

Chanting slogans against home minister Zulfiqar Mirza and district administration they arrived at DCO office and staged a sit-in.

After some time DCO Manzoor Ali Shaikh, DPO Pir Fareed Jan Sarhandi and other district administration officials invited the protecting leaders inside their office for dialogue. All the Shirazis went inside and deliberated on the crucial issues.

Later, the Shirazis told Dawn that they had given the administration three days and if the demands were not met they would continue their campaign after the expiry of deadline.