Inaugural Sindh Assembly session: Face-off likely as govt warns of stern action after five parties announce joint protest

The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Muhajir Qaumi Movement (aka MQM- Haqiqi), have announced they will stage a joint peaceful protest outside the Sindh Assembly on Saturday (today) on the occasion of the inaugural session of the house when the newly elected MPAs will take the oath of their office at 11am.

The announcement was made by leaders of these parties at a press conference on Friday after they held a consultative session on conducting a joint protest drive against what they termed “bogus general elections” in the province.

Speaking at the press conference, the leaders said they would stage a completely peaceful demonstration outside the provincial assembly against the bogus “elections” in the province. They warned that their parties would foil any design to interrupt their peaceful protest.

The political parties also decided to form a 10-member consultation committee to steer the joint agitation drive in the province against the rigged polls. GDA Chief Coordinator in Sindh Saddurddin Shah Rashdi told media persons that their agitation campaign would continue “till the return of the stolen electoral mandate” or the announcement of new general elections.

He announced that Pir Pagara would come to lead the protest from the front whenever there was any such requirement. He made it clear that Pir Pagara had still been leading the protest movement in the province against the rigged elections.

Rashdi said their protest drive would remain completely within the limits defined in the constitution and law, as not a single stone would be hurled by any protester during the agitation. He announced that the GDA’s MPAs-elect wouldn’t take oath on Saturday (today).

GDA leader Dr Safdar Abbasi told media persons that MPAs-elect belonging to the Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and GDA wouldn’t take oath on Saturday (today). In a statement issued late on Friday night, Caretaker Home Minister Brig (retd) Haris Nawaz said that Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code had been imposed in Karachi barring any procession or protest demonstration in the city.

He said that stringent security arrangements had been made at and around the Sindh Assembly for its inaugural session on Saturday. He warned that stern lawful action would be taken against anyone resorting to lawlessness or violence. He appealed to the people to lend support to the police and other law-enforcement agencies to maintain law and order in the city.