HYDERABAD: The interior of Sindh was hit by another shutterdown for a third consecutive day as various groups of nationalists continued street protests over ‘enforced disappearances’ of their activists and killing of several of them over the past couple of weeks.

The call for a strike on Monday was given by proscribed nationalist group, the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), and supported by Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM), Sindh Bachayo Committee (SBC), Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) and a number of other nationalist groups. They included the Saturday assassination of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro in the cause of their protest.

In Hyderabad division, a complete strike was observed in Qasimabad, Tandojam, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Hala Bhitshah and Matiari where protesters took to the streets, placed burning tyres in the middle of thoroughfares and held demonstrations against the killing of Dr Soomro and dumping of the bodies of several victims of ‘enforced disappearance’ who belonged to different nationalist groups.

Hyderabad city and Latifabad remained largely unaffected by the strike call.

Dr Dodo Mehri, Dr Niaz Kalani, Khalid Dhamrah and other leaders led protest rallies and sit-ins held by activists of their respective parties.

Joint rallies by nationalist parties and groups were also taken out in almost all big and small towns of Sindh to condemn what was described as ‘custodial killing’ of nationalist activists.

A complete shutterdown was also observed in almost all cities and towns of Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Sujawal, Larkana, Sukkur, Ghotki, Kandhkot-Khasmore, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushahro Feroze, Dadu, Badin, Mithi and Umerkot districts, where rallies and demonstrations were held to condemn the assassination of Dr Soomro by terrorists and killing of many Sindhi nationalist activists allegedly by security agencies.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2014