February 23, 2003	Sunday	Zul Hijjah 21, 1423

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HYDERABAD, Feb 21: Members of the ‘Stop-Tyranny Committee,’ Thatta, on Friday announced their decision to launch a district- wide movement against human rights violations, the oppression of waderas and the police against the poor people.

The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Prince Town residence of the Awami Tehrik chief, Rasool Bux Palijo.

Mr Palijo, announcing on behalf of the committee, said that the campaign against the Shirazi and Malkani groups would begin with the staging of a demonstration and a sit-in Thatta on March 1.

Everyone, he said, knew that state excesses and lawlessness had become the order of the day in the Thatta district, adding that the Shirazi family, in connivance with the police, had made the lives of the people of the district miserable.

He said the incidence of thefts, robberies and kidnappings had increased to an alarming level, adding that the DPO, Thatta, was acting as a mere manager of the Shirazi group.

Since the general elections, Mr Palijo said, Thatta district had become a “No-go area.”

He said that the workers of various political parties, including the People’s Party Parliamentarians, and the poor people were being victimized by the officials of the police, irrigation and forest departments at the instance of the Shirazi group.

He said that during the past two months, 40 persons of the Sarki community had been implicated in 10 false cases for their support for the PPP, adding that the police was terrorising the Sarki villages by conducting raids.

He said that the leaders of the Sarkis, Samejas and Brohis were being harassed by the police to change their loyalties in favour of the Shirazi group.

Quoting other examples in this regard, he said that at least 2,000 political workers, who had not supported the Shirazi group, had been implicated in false cases.

MPA Dr Sassui Palejo and others attended the press conference.