LARKANA: Sindh United Party (SUP) convener Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah on Saturday warned the government against issuing computerised national identity cards (CNICs) to any immigrant who had entered the country illegally. He also vowed to continue his party’s ongoing campaign against corruption, terrorism and religious extremism.

Mr Shah was speaking to the participants of his party’s ‘Sindh march’ which entered Larkana on Saturday after passing through Karachi and Hyderabad.

“Corruption has to be rooted out from the country because terrorism flourishes with the finances earned through corruption”, he said, adding that an end to corruption would help end terrorism.

The SUP chief announced that any move to issue CNICs to illegal immigrants like Bengalis, Burmese, Afghans and others would be opposed tooth and nail as this was bound to change the demography of Sindh. He cited a Supreme Court verdict to demand that all “outsiders” be confined to camps.

Mr Shah also called for keeping the state and religion separate to avoid complications in governance. He expressed the view that the ongoing Islamabad sit-in might be funded by some foreign powers or forces. He said the state and government must establish their writ across the country as democracy without peace was of no use.

He said he was heartened by the rousing welcome accorded by the Larkana people to the participants of the Sindh march, and expressed his confidence that the march would succeed in bringing about a positive change in the corruption-hit political corridors and bureaucrats’ set-up.

Mr Shah severely criticised the ruling party and Sindh government for not paying attention to the fundamental rights of the people of Sindh, indicating that the masses were still being made to drink contaminated water and live with sewage flooding their localities.

“The ruling class treat democracy as their maid and always exploited it for their personal interests and gains,” he observed, and said the masses would reject such opportunist people and vote for nationalists in the next general elections.

“The entire Sindh is rendered ruined under PPP’s rule but NAB [National Accountability Bureau] has turned a blind eye to the deeds of those responsible for it,” he said, and alleged that the Larkana mayor was also doing things “after striking deals” while the PPP was institutionalising corruption.

He said protests like the Sindh march against corruption would be held at all divisional headquarters and urged the media to focus on this big menace in covering SUP events.

Syed Zain Shah, Roshan Burirro, Dr Dodo Mehri, Pir Khalil Jan Sarhandi, Aijaz Samtio, Asima Abro, Jagdesh Ahuja, Sheba Mughal and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2017