HYDERABAD, Aug 31: The leader of opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Nisar Khuhro, has said that the freedom of expression has been curbed by the new defamation law.

He was speaking at a reception for the newly-elected office- bearers of the Hyderabad Press Club here on Monday, hosted by People's Party Parliamentarians' leader Maula Bux Chandio. MPA Zahid Bhurgari, club president Hamid Sheikh, secretary Iqbal Mallah and others also spoke on the occasion.

Mr Khuhro warned that if Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz announced construction of the Kalabagh dam, the PPP activists would take to the streets. He criticised outgoing prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat for proposing defamation law and added that besides elected representatives, journalists had also been covered under the defamation law.

He said that people and journalists did not have access to information because government officials did not provided them required information. He alleged that rigging was witnessed in Tharparkar by-election where 98 percent turn-out of voters was shown despite the fact that the Thari people had migrated due to poverty.

He further said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had changed the cabinet twice following his statement that corrupt politicians had found their way into ministries.

He said that an elected prime minister was taken to task in 1999 for acting in accordance with the Constitution while those who abrogated the Constitution were never punished.

He asserted that the process of impeachment of president should be made easier and added that his party would continue its struggle for the people's rule in the country.

He demanded repatriation of immigrants from Sindh and opposed the Sindh Assembly resolution, calling for issuing national identity cards to the aliens.

He said that this was in spite of the fact that the government had failed to provide basic amenities to the citizens in the province.

He said that a resolution on the issue had been moved in the Sindh Assembly and it would be discussed on September 3.