KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Wednesday staged a women-only demonstration in protest over the recently passed Sindh Local Government (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

A large number of women workers and sympathisers from all walks of life gathered at Regal Chowk in Saddar to take part in the protest.

Carrying placards, party flags and chanting slogans against what they termed a “black law”, they demanded that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government further amend the bill to make it more acceptable for people of all ethnic origins living in the province and more effective in terms of power sharing with the local government representatives.

The party has already announced and appealed to the people across Sindh, particularly its supporters, to come out and protest against the “dictatorial law” the PPP government had passed in the assembly.

Addressing the protesters, senior leader Amir Khan said the people of Karachi and other cities of the province had given their verdict against the local government law.

The party would continue its struggle against every move made by the PPP government to undermine the powers and resources of the local governments, he added.

“This feudal style of governance of the PPP in Sindh is causing a great deal of unrest among the people and has turned into the feeling of alienation,” he said. “The law passed by the Sindh Assembly is in fact in direct conflict with the Constitution of Pakistan and in flagrant violation of Article 140-A of the Constitution.

He alleged that the Sindh chief minister was spreading hatred from the floor of the house.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2021