MITHI: Qaumi Awami Tehreek chief Ayaz Latif Palijo has said that any move by the disqualified prime minister to tinker with Constitution will prove disastrous for democratic process and it will be very unfortunate if certain clauses are amended only to save skin of convicts and those found guilty of wrongdoing.

The deposed prime minister had failed to mount pressure on courts to get ‘required results’ through his ‘homecoming’ protest rally, which had ended up to be an exercise in futility, he said.

Mr Palijo was addressing a big public gathering held in a high school ground to pay homage to Thari freedom fighter Rooplo Kolhi before leading Mohabbat-i-Sindh rally here on Sunday.

He said that Mian Nawaz Sharif had once again proved himself to be a leader of GT Road only. He should have accepted and respected the verdict of the five-member bench of Supreme Court instead of taking to the streets, he said.

Now the law should turn to the Pakistan Peoples Party leaders and bring them before courts of law for their involvement in massive corruption, he said.

He slammed PPP leadership, including Asif Ali Zardari and Sindh government, and remarked that it was a great tragedy with people of Sindh that all the corrupt had gathered on one platform to maximize their plunder of public resources.

He said that massive corruption, nepotism, harmful projects of Zulfikarabad and Gorano water reservoir, terrorism and loadshedding were among the main problems confronting Sindh.

Mr Palijo accused Mr Zardari of selling at throwaway price Sindh’s land to Malik Riaz and said the two wanted to turn the whole province into Bharia Town. There was no future for PPP as people had got fed up with the party leaders for their callous and indifferent attitude, he said.

He urged people to raise voice against massive corruption and worst governance in the province and demanded that genuine concerns of people protesting against Gorano reservoir project should be addressed by both the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company and the officials concerned of the Sindh government. The mining firm must fulfill its commitments made with local people and ensure transparency in provision of jobs, he said.

He criticised Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and said that Sindh was not on the agenda of Mr Khan who, he said, was playing the ‘no one’ game instead of doing real politics.

Mr Palijo said the country was again passing through a critical phase of its history because of incompetent rulers who never paid heed toward solving basic issues of people throughout the past 70 years of independence.

He said that unabated deaths of infants and outbreak of viral diseases like chikungunya were creating a sense of fear and panic among Tharis but the government was not ready to address their concerns as the funds allocated for provision of healthcare, education and safe drinking water to people were being pocketed by PPP leaders and their favourite officials.

He paid rich tribute to Rooplo Kolhi who laid down his life along with other Kolhis fighting against the invading British forces. Since Rooplo belonged to the downtrodden Kolhi community he was mostly neglected by historians, he regretted.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2017