SUKKUR: A multi-party conference held in Kandhkot on Sunday said that lawlessness, murders in broad daylight, kidnapping for ransom and robberies had become order of the day in Kandhkot-Kashmore district where people lived in constant fear and the majority was planning to migrate to relatively peaceful areas.

Local leaders of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-i-Islami, Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, lawyers community, Jeay Sindh Tehreek, Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, Social Alliance and other social and political organisations said at the MPC hosted by Sindh United Party elected public representatives felt no pain of people who had sent them to parliament. They preferred police over them because their vested interests were linked with police.

Many innocent people were killed within a few days but police failed to arrest even one suspect involved in murders, sparking protests by heirs of victims in front of offices and police stations, they said.

But, they said, landlords and influential political persons remained unperturbed. Every resident of the district wanted peace because lawlessness had broken the back of local economy. They would, therefore, not leave people alone and urge all political parties to launch a powerful movement for the removal of incompetent officials.

They said that police were adept only at terrorising innocent people and were not ready to go after criminals, hence all political and social organisations of the district needed to get united on one platform and launch a collective struggle for peace.

They said that in past many alliances of Shehri Ittehad were formed but they failed to achieve their purpose. Therefore, it had been decided in consultation with the MPC participants that a 16-member committee would launch the movement by taking out a rally in Kandhkot on Monday and then continue the protest movement in phases.

MIRPURKHAS: Nationalist leaders on Sunday reiterated the call for immediate repatriation of Afghan refugees and other foreigners living in Sindh.

They accused the outsiders of being involved in procuring NICs and other documents and doing businesses, buying properties and selling illegal arms and narcotics in the province.

SUP secretary general Roshan Burro, JSQM leader Syed Zain Shah and Dr Niaz Kalani said at the 24-hour hunger strikers camp outside local press club that Pakistan Peoples Party was responsible for protecting Afghan refugees because the party had complete powers to evict them but it was deliberately not taking required measures. The Sindh government was passing the buck and asking only federal government to evict the refugees, they said.

They alleged that efforts were afoot to convert Sindhis into a minority but they would not allow the government to do that and their struggle would continue till acceptance of their demands.

They lamented that Sindh was being deprived of its resources while the provincial government was busy in large-scale corruption of funds and resources, causing extraordinary increase in poverty and unemployment.

They said the next 24-hour strike was planned at Nawabshah on July 18 and 19 after which a demonstration would be held in front of Chief Minister House in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2020