HYDERABAD: In response to a call given by the Sindh Bachayo Committee (SBC) for a half-day shutdown against the Sindh government’s decision to allow internally displaced persons (IDPs) into the province, people in most districts kept their business and trade places closed till noon on Tuesday. Rallies were also taken out in many cities and towns and participants staged sit-ins on highways and other thoroughfares to register their protest.

In Hyderabad, no offices, markets, bazaars and shops in many areas were opened in the morning but people in some areas ignored the call.

A sit-in was held on the Hyderabad bypass near Wadhu Wah for two hours.

Leading a protest rally, taken out from Naseem Nagar Chowk, SBC convener Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah said the committee had decided to restrict the shutdown to half day in view of Ramazan.

He said the SBC would meet on Aug 5 in Karachi after holding consultations with leaders of component parties and groups to finalise a strategy against IDPs influx in Sindh.

He reiterated the SBC stance that terrorists and extremists were very likely to sneak into the province in the garb of IDPs to disturb peace and pose a serious threat to the life and property of citizens.

Nationalists plan drive against IDPs entry into Sindh

Karachi and Hyderabad, as well as some other cities, had already been facing a law and order problem due to the activities of terrorists, extremists and other criminals, he noted.

Mr Shah said that outsiders in large numbers had been settled in Sindh to snatch its natives’ right to rule over their territory and the same thing was being repeated this time in the name of IDPs.

He rejected Chief Minis­ter Syed Qaim Ali Shah’s contention that each and every IDP would be checked on Sindh’s border, and said no checkpoints had been set up as claimed by the CM.

He argued that Sindh was about 1,500 to 2,000 kilometres away from North and South Waziristan which the IDPs belonged to and they could easily be kept at many places a few hundred kilometres from the troubled zones.

Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) leader Dr Niaz Kalani and Sindh United Party leaders including Dr Dodo Mehri and Roshan Ali Buriro also spoke.

Sukkur

While parts of upper Sindh gave a mixed response to the SBC strike call, a complete shutdown was observed in Jacobabad town, where no main markets, bazaars or trade and shopping centres were opened in the morning.

The SUP and JSQM organised a rally which was attended by other nationalist groups.

The participants marched through the streets of Jacobabad before converging on Tikundi Bagh to hold a sit-in on the National Highway for some time.

SUP district chief Syed Pir Shah, JSQM leader Mannan Mahar and others spoke to the protesters, who raised slogans against the federal and Sindh governments over allowing IDPs into Sindh.

Larkana

A shutdown was observed across Larkana, where markets, bazaars, shops and fuel stations remained closed till noon.

SUP component parties’ leaders Mumtaz Shaikh, Dr Mazhar Mughal, Sheba Mug­hal, Ahmed Ali Tunio, Zahid Mirani and others led protesters who held a sit-in near Ghar Wah, where tents were pitched by the organisers. The sit-in continued from noon to 2pm during which the protesters kept raising slogans against settling of IDPs in Sindh.

Naushahro Feroze

Protest rallies were taken out in Naushahro Feroze, Moro, Kandiaro, Khan Wahan, Padidan and Mith­yani towns during a half day shutdown observed across the district in response to the SBC call.

JSQM, SUP and Sindhi Adabi Sangat leaders Aslam Korejo, Jagdesh Kumar, Ashraf Leghari, Shahnawaz Mangsi and Azeem Sindhi led a rally that passed through various roads in Moro and ended near the local press club.

Protesters led by Khadim Siyal, Aziz Phul and Gul Moro took out another rally and burnt tyres to block various roads and then marched up to the bypass to block the Naushahro Feroze bypass on National Highway by staging a sit-in for about hour.

They vowed to forcefully foil the ‘conspiracy’ to turn Sindhis into a minority in their own province by settling IDPs.

Mirpurkhas

The SBC call for a half-day shutdown went by and large unnoticed in Mirpurkhas city as well as most cities and towns of the district.

Activists of various nationalist parties and groups, however, staged a two-hour sit-in at Toll Plaza to block Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas Road.

Shikarpur

Almost all cities and towns of Shikarpur district remained closed till noon. Local leaders of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaaz, Jeay Sindh Mahaz , Qaumi Awami Tehreek, Jeay Sindh Teh­reek and other nationalist originations organised a joint rally to register a strong protest against influx of IDPs in Sindh.

Khairpur

Although a partial strike was observed in the first half of the day in Khairpur city, many other towns of the district including Ranipur, Hingorja, Gambat, Setharja and Thari Mirwah remained totally shut on the SBC call. Rallies were held in Ranipur and Hingorja where activists of various nationalist parties and groups held sit-ins to block the National Highway.

Kumb-Nawabshah road in Kot Diji taluka was blocked with burning tyres and a procession was taken out from Jalal Ji Chowdagi in Faiz Gunj taluka which ended at Amun Chowdagi, where the participants block­ed Sakrand-Khairpur road, locally called Mehran National Highway.

Badin

A mixed response was given to the SBC strike call in Badin district. While a complete shutdown was observed in Matli, Talhar, Kario Ghanwar, Rajo Khanani and Khorwa towns, the call went unnoticed in Badin, Tando Bago, Golarchi, Pangrio and Tando Ghulam Ali.

A rally was taken out in Pangrio to condemn the Sindh government for allowing IDPs into the province.

Nawabshah

Almost the entire Nawab­shah city remained shut till noon on Tuesday in response to the strike call given by the SBC. SBC members Asif Magsi, Falak Sher Oadh, Ghulam Ali Keerio and Jawed Umrani led participants of rally who held a sit-in at Sakrand bypass on National Highway.

All main markets and bazaars and shopping malls including Sarafa Bazaar, Liaqat Market, Lal Building Road, Masjid Road, Hospital Road, Sakrand Road, Court Road, Kutchery Road, Buc­heri Road wore a deserted look while fuel stations also did not open in the morning.

Dadu

A complete shutdown was observed in Dadu town as no markets, bazaars and shopping centres opened in the morning while vehicular traffic remained thin on intercity roads.

A demonstration was held outside the local press club, where activists of SUP, JSQM, STP and other nationalist parties spoke to the participants.

A shutdown was also observed in Johi, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Mehar, Phulji, Sehwan, Sann, Manjhand, Jamshoro, Kotri and Nooriabad.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd , 2014