SUKKUR: Maliha Soomro, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader and Federal Minister for Privatisation Muhammad Mian Soomro, on Saturday joined in the protest by Jacobabad’s business community and Hindu General Panchayat against alleged police excesss.

She warned that she would lead a similar protest in front of PPP chiarman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s house in Larkana if demands of Jacobabad traders continued to be ignored by the provincial government.

The business community, traders’ organisations and Panchayat have been holding protests for the last 14 days over registration of cases against 17 local traders, including the Panchayat president, Lalchand Seetlani and his son Siva Seetlani. They all have been accused of trading in smuggled goods.

Raids were also conducted on their business places to seize the merchandise a couple of weeks ago. Since then, protests led by office-bearers of the Jacobabad Chamber of Commerce and the Panchayat have been continuing almost every day. They have been demanding removal of SSP Shumail Riaz Malik and withdrawal of cases against the traders.

On Saturday, businessmen, traders and shopkeepers observed a shutterdown strike and in Jacobabad city and held a demonstration at Sarafa Chowk. Activists of various political, religious and nationalist parties, besides members of the Hindu community, took part in the protest.

Maliha Soomro also joined in and expressed solidarity with the protesters. She also led the protesters’ march from Sarafa Chowk to the local press club.

Speaking to the participants and local reporters, she said police must stop excesses against traders and Hindu community members and, instead, pay attention to controlling crime in the district.

Amid slogans against the Sindh government and district police, she demanded removal of the SSP, pointing out that he had failed to control murders, dacoities, robberies, theft and other crimes which had been on an increase across the district. She condemned registration of “false cases against traders to harass them”.

“It seems that the SSP has become subservient to the ruling elite,” she remarked.

She vowed to take the protest to the Bhutto House in Larkana and also move Supreme Court against police excesses in Jacobabad district.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2021