HYDERABAD, Oct 18: Eminent jurist and leader of Pakistan People’s Party Barrister Mujeeb Pirzada has warned if any attempt is made to illegally sell off Sindh’s islands it will be challenged in the court of law.

Speaking at a news conference at the local press club on Wednesday he said that the islands were Sindh government’s property not Port Qasim Authority’s. Sindh has exclusive rights over its waters, gas, oil and other natural resources, he said.

Recently, he and his colleagues moved three bills in the assembly about provincial autonomy, NFC award and national languages, he said.

The provincial autonomy bill demanded that the governors of the provinces should be appointed through elections instead of being nominated by the centre, the concurrent lists should be transferred to the provinces, the NFC should be abolished and the income from central excise and sales tax should be handed over to the provinces, Mr Pirzada said.

He said that the languages bill demanded that Sindhi, Punjabi, Seraiki, Balochi and Pushto languages should also be declared national languages along with Urdu.

He criticized Hudood Ordinance and termed it illegal, unconstitutional and un-Islamic. The ordinance was a legacy of Gen Ziaul Haq who used it to appease mullahs after executing the country’s prime minister, Z A Bhutto, he said.

He said that his party had moved a bill demanding repeal of the ordinance while the treasury bench had moved another bill calling for amendments to the existing ordinance.

To a question about tribal system, Mr Pirzada said that the system did not enjoy the sanctity of law. Neither law nor constitution was to blame if the society had accepted it due to its ignorance. The system could only be abolished by creating awareness among people, he said.

About Karo-kari, the jurist said, murder was murder whether it was committed in the name honour or something else and it was punishable with death.

The problems could be resolved at local level in the larger interest of community and welfare of society but the law did not accept jirga system awarding punishments to people, he said adding that the authority to punish was vested only and only in the courts.

To another question, he said the 1940 resolution had not become redundant. It was very much relevant even this day, he said.