HYDERABAD, June 6: Leaders of various political and nationalist parties and social welfare and human rights organizations have condemned registration of what they called false cases against Jam Saqi and the arrest of his wife. They warned that they would launch a protest movement against the government if the cases against Mr Saqi were not withdrawn and his wife was not released.

Leaders of the Anti-Greater Thal Canal Action Committee and other organizations took out a procession from the DPO’s office and staged a sit-in outside the press club for about three hours. A large number of women and children also took part in the protest.

Speaking on the occasion, the acting convener of the action committee and chief of the Awami Tehrik, Rasool Bux Palijo, said Mr Saqi’s case was not a scattered incident but it was a matter which concerned all self-respecting people of the province.

He called upon democratic forces of Sindh to launch a joint struggle against the government action.

People’s Party Parliamentarians MPA Sassui Palijo said Mr Saqi had struggled against human rights violations throughout his life and he was being victimized by the rulers through registration of false cases. She demanded that the cases against him should be withdrawn forthwith and his wife be released.

She said her party was against the oppressors and added that the Tharparkar district was not a property of the Arbabs.

Another PPP leader Shah Mohammad Shah said Mr Saqi and Arbab Murad Ali were being victimized because they were political opponents of the Arbabs.

Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Afzal Gujjar termed the victimization of Mr Saqi state terrorism. He said his party would support Mr Saqi.

Abdul Hayee Baloch observed that the rulers were trying to create a gulf among people of the provinces.

Sindh Taraqqi Pasand leader Haider Shahani, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam leader Maulana Azam Jahangiri, Zareena Baloch, Nazeer Memon, Haider Malookani, Zain Daudpoto, Nasreen Shakeel Pathan and others also spoke on the occasion.

They demanded immediate withdrawal of the cases against Mr Saqi and release of his wife.

SPLA: The Sindh Professor and Lecturers Association has suspended basic membership of the founder president of the association, Prof Liaquat Aziz Solangi and others.

Those others include Prof Siddique Unnar, Aslam Khaskheli, Yaqoob Chandio, Tariq Qureshi, Ghazanfar Shah, Mohammad Yaseen Khan and Prof Qadir Bux Dahri.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club on Monday, the regional president of the association, Prof Khadim Hussain Khoso, general secretary Prof Mubinur Rehman, provincial additional secretary Prof Sher Khan Selaro, provincial joint secretary, Prof Gulsher Nabi and provincial spokesman Professor Anwar Sagar said Prof Solangi and his companions were repeatedly violating the rules and regulations and had tried to break the association by constituting “Save SPLA Forum”.