JI to block Sharea Faisal on Sunday for LG law’s withdrawal

As part of its strategy to build pressure on the Sindh government for withdrawing the disputed local government bill, particularly after some provincial ministers levelled allegations against the Jamaat-e-Islami, the religious party’s leadership has vowed to block Karachi’s main thoroughfare, Sharea Faisal, on Sunday.

JI city chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman made this announcement while addressing the participants of the sit-in outside the provincial assembly that completed 14 days on Thursday.

“The Sindh government’s negotiation committee head, LG Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, who promised talks on the directives of Pakistan Peoples Party [PPP] chiefs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari, has been on the run for four days now,” said Rehman.

The JI leader, who led a rally from Burnes Road to the sit-in camp, said Sharea Faisal will be completely blocked on Sunday afternoon, with rallies from all the districts of the city gathering there.

Without naming provincial minister Saeed Ghani, he said that some PPP ministers, either on the top leadership’s behest or by keeping them in the dark, have been trying their level best to derail the dialogue process by issuing provocative statements.

“The JI’s struggle is aimed at safeguarding the country’s future generations from feudalism,” he said. He also said PPP leaders chant the mantra of majority in the PA. “But it has become an open secret how the majority is acquired in Sindh for the legislative assembly.”

Rehman said the feudal mindset has taken over the PPP. “It has already captured the rural areas of Sindh, and now it is aiming at taking control of the urban areas of the province.” He said the JI wants parity in the policies for the rural and urban areas of the province. “If union councils in the rural areas are made over 15,000 to 20,000 individuals on an average, the same formula should be used for the urban areas to ensure equal utilisation of funds.”

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Karachi leaders Salman Khan and Amanullah Afridi, as well as trade union leaders visited the sit-in to show solidarity with the protesters. As women’s sessions have become a part of the daily routine of the sit-in, scores of women participated in the protest on the 14th day as well. Moreover, rallies and solidarity sit-ins were held at various locations across the city for brief periods of time.