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KARACHI, Dec 24: Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has appealed to the Supreme Court and Sindh High Court to take suo motu action against the chief minister's 'ill-advised decision' of bifurcating the Larkana district which, he claimed, had resulted in the killing of five people and injuries to more than 100 others in police action in Qambar.
Mr Khuhro, addressing a press conference in his assembly chamber on Friday, accused the Chief Minister, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, of pushing the province into a civil war by pitting people of different tehsils against each other in order to divert attention of masses from pressing problems.
The opposition leader was flanked by MNAs, MPAs, nazims and naib nazims from Larkana and other districts. They included Mohammad Anwar Bhutto, Khalid Iqbal Memon, Shahid Hussain Bhutto, Ramesh Lal, Ayaz Soomro, Munawwar Ali Abbasi, Khurshid Junejo and Nazeer Bughio. The elected representatives vowed to foil any conspiracy aimed at dividing Larkana district.
MR KHUHRO TOLD REPORTERS: "The chief minister's ego has claimed five precious lives. Seven people are in precarious condition and more than 100 others have sustained injuries in the Qambar incident.
Cases will be lodged against DCOs, DPOs, and DSPs who had ordered police to open indiscriminate fire on the people protesting against the creation of four new districts without any request from any elected institution. The government has taken the decision without taking elected representatives of the concerned districts into confidence.''
He pointed out that Larkana district's population stood at two million which was divided on the pretext of administration and management. He contended that Karachi had a population of more than 10 million and in this metropolis, five districts had been merged to make one district.
"Why Hyderabad district, having a population far more than Larkana district, was not bifurcated; why Mithi, the hometown of the chief minister, was not bifurcated?'' he asked.
Mr Khuhro alleged that Larkana district was split into two districts with an aim of creating a law and order situation so that development work there came to a halt. When asked whether the PPP would lodge an FIR against the chief minister for the killings in Qambar, Mr Khuhro pointed out that the government had not yet registered an FIR into the killing of MPA Abdullah Murad.
He said that the bereaved of those killed in Qambar would certainly lodge FIRs, but at this moment, "we suppose the courts to take suo motu notice of the police action if our judiciary is alive to its responsibilities.'' The PPP, he said, had summoned its meeting where a strategy would certainly be formulated, he added.
In reply to a question, he claimed that Kashmor district had been created by bifurcating Jacobabad district to benefit the Revenue Minister, Imtiaz Shaikh, who had failed in getting himself elected from his hometown of Shikarpur.
Larkana District Nazim Khurshid Junejo told reporters that the district council with 106 members had unanimously adopted three resolutions against the bifurcation of the district.
Mr Junejo said that the district council was scheduled to meet on Friday (Dec 24) but police sealed off the council hall. The councillors had to hold their meeting at a nearby square where it unanimously adopted a resolution against the bifurcation of the district.
MPA Ayaz Soomro described the police firing in Qambar as a conspiracy to divide the PPP vote bank in the constituency of the party's Chairperson Ms Benazir Bhutto.
