August 30, 2008	Saturday	Sha'aban 27, 1429

HYDERABAD, Aug 29: Women Action Forum on Friday launched a signature campaign against the jirga system. Hundreds of women and members of the civil society marched on roads and staged a protest demonstration outside the press club.

Raising slogans against jirga system, protesters demanded the members of Sindh Assembly to legislate law against this evilness, along with the arrest of influential and feudal lords deciding criminal cases themselves.

They also demanded doing away with the outdated and retrogressive customs and traditions. Activists carrying a huge white banner took 100 signatures of writers, intellectuals, and civil society members.

Coordinator, Hyderabad Chapter of WAF, Prof Amar Sindhu likened the jirga to cancer of the society. She criticised tribal chieftains and influential people, including politicians in connivance of the government organisations of being the root cause in tribal disputes. This had completely paralyzed the Sindhi society along with the violation of law, Amar Sindhu said.

She called upon the conscientious people to join hands against the jirga system and retrogressive karo-kari custom to save lives of innocent women. It was the duty of the government to legislate laws to rid the province of this malice, she said.

Awami Tehrik chief and noted jurist Rasool Bux Palijo said that according to Constitution, jirga system was high treason and should be treated as such. It was also a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights, Palijo said and added that the people of Sindh had become politically conscious and they will not accept this system.

Nationalist leader Dr Dodo Maheri said that agencies themselves were involved in encouraging jirga system to strengthen the stranglehold of feudal elements over the have-nots. He called upon the PPP government to ban the system.

Jami Chandio said that jirga system was the enemy of democracy and expressed hope that the PPP government will abolish this cursed system.

Irfana Mallah, Gul Badan Mirza, Rukhsana Preet Channar, Nazeer Qureshi, Bakhtawar Jam and a large number of writers and intellectual participated in the rally.

The rally demanded that the ban imposed on jirgas by the Sindh High Court be enforced in letter and spirit, a law should be legislated by the Sindh Assembly to punish perpetrators of this heinous crime, and punish police officer of the area where a jirga was held.