KARACHI/LARKANA: Province-wide protest demonstrations and sit-ins of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) came to an end on Saturday evening after Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah promised to send the murder case of the slain leader Khalid Mehmood Soomro to a military court for trial.

A large number of JUI-F workers took to the streets across Sindh cities and towns demanding trial by a military court of those arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of Dr Soomro, who was shot dead in Sukkur on Nov 29, 2014.

In Karachi, JUI-F workers and leaders gathered in front of the Karachi Press Club to stage a protest demonstration.

Activists blocked the Hatri bypass intersection in Hyderabad and workers of Sukkur and Khairpur districts staged a sit-in at the Baberloi bypass near Sukkur. In Dadu, protesters blocked the Dadu-Larkana Indus highway at the Dadu bypass by staging a sit-in there.

However, Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro and Maulana Nasir Mehmood Soomro, sons of the slain leader and also the JUI-F Sindh chapter’s secretary general and Larkana president, respectively, led a protest demonstration in Larkana and blocked the Naudero sugar mills bypass for hours.

The protests disrupted traffic on main highways and caused hardship to motorists and commuters.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Larkana DIG Sain Rakhio Mirani and Commissioner G. Akbar Leghari initiated talks with the JUI-F leadership. After hours-long talks, they later assured the JUI-F leaders that the CM had agreed to send the murder case to a military court for trial.

Both sides signed an agreement which stated that the government would send the case to a military court by Jan 7, 2016 and the JUI-F would not hold any more protests for one month.

“We, on behalf of the Sindh CM, do undertake that the case of Shaheed Allama Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro will be sent to a military court for trial up to Jan 7, 2016 after completing formalities,” reads the agreement signed by both sides.

The JUI-F leadership ended its protests across the city after the assurance by the Sindh CM.

“We trust the government assurance,” said Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro while calling off the protest. “But we warn the authorities if the Sindh government reneges on its commitment, the JUI-F will siege CM House in Karachi on Jan 26.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for CM House said: “On the directives of CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah, the Larkana DIG and the commissioner have extended a written assurance to the JUI-F leaders that the process to send Dr Soomro’s murder case to a military court has been initiated.

“The chief minister has also issued directives to the home department and other institutions concerned to complete formalities so that the case could be sent to a military court for trial. The two sides have agreed on terms and conditions of the written assurance.”

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2015