SUKKUR: The general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl, Sindh chapter, Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro, has announced a plan for rellies and sit-ins on highways throughout Sindh on Dec 26 to hinder caravans and vehicles moving towards Garhi Khuda Bux for the Dec 27 death anniversary of PPP leader Benazir Bhutto if the murder case of slain JUI-F general secretary Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro is not transferred to the military court.

Maulana Soomro said this while addressing a press conference at Madressah Mazharul Uloom, Manzil Gah, here on Sunday.

He said on November 29 in 2014 Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro was killed and despite the passage of a year, the Sindh government did not fulfil its promises of arresting the culprits. He said that the case of civil society leader Sabeen Mahmud was sent to the military courts, but hurdles were being created for sending the case of Dr Soomro to military court.

Maulana Rashid said that seminary schools were not involved in terrorism and they were free NGOs.

He demanded that the Rangers were given full powers so that tribal clashes could also be controlled. He said that handing over of schools and hospitals to NGOs by the Sindh government was itself an evidence of its failure to run institutions.

Replying to a question, he said that if the JUI-F was not included in the grand alliance being created by Pir Sahib Pagara, the alliance would be incomplete, adding that so far nobody had contacted him in connections with joining the alliance.

JUI leaders, including Syed Siraj Ahmed Amroti, Qari Mohammed Usman, Maulana Abdul Qayoom Halejvi, Abdul Razzak Abid Lakho, Maulana Taj Mohammed, Saud Afzal Halejvi, Mohammed Saleh Indhar, and others were present.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2015