LARKANA: The workers of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Grand Democratic Alliance and Sindh United Party staged a demonstration and sit-in on the VIP Road near deputy commissioner’s office here on Wednesday in protest against large-scale manipulation of results in Feb 8 polls.

Maulana Rashid Mehmood Soomro, district emir of JUI-F Larkana, GDA’s Moazzim Ali Abbasi, Barrister Kazim Abbasi, Dr Mazhar Mughal of SUP and others, who led the protest, alleged that people were robbed of their right to vote.

They warned if unpopular leaders with stained election records were imposed it would trigger protests throughout Sindh which would continue to swell over time. Once again, those who had a track record of bad governance and destroying all departments would be imposed on Sindh under a conspiracy, he said.

They criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party for deciding to sit with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz against whom the PPP had spoken bitterly during electioneering. “This is sheer hypocrisy,” they said.

The JUI-F leader said that his party workers would not only participate in Feb 16 sit-in of GDA at Hyderabad bypass but would also block the Sindh-Balochistan border point at Kamo Shaheed on the National Highway the same day.

GDA leader Moazzim Abbasi said that Jamaat-i-Islami, JUI-F and other political parties were protesting against the ‘rigged’ and ‘managed’ elections and demanded holding transparent re-elections for political and economic stability.

He said that people were looking to constitutional institutions for helping the country pull out of the difficult situation. Political victimisation had resumed after elections and the seed of hate was being sown, he said and demanded free and fair re-elections.

GDA to hold sit-in o Feb 16

The GDA has decided to stage a sit-in on Hyderabad-Jamshoro junction on M9 highway on Friday and a delegation of the alliance has submitted an application in this regard to Hyderabad commissioner, informing him about the proposed sit-in scheduled for Feb 16.

GDA leaders including secretary general Dr Sardar Abbasi, Hassam Mirza, Zulfikar Mangi and Roshan Buriro visited the proposed site of the protest and said that both lanes of M9 highway and connecting roads would remain occupied by participants in the sit-in. Friday prayer congregation would also be held there before the protest, they said.

Sardar Rahim told Dawn the sit-in would be followed by another bigger protest outside Sindh Assembly when it held its first session. GDA’s two MPAs-elect Rashid Shah (Khairpur) and Dastagir Rajar (Sanghar) would take oath in people’s assembly to be held outside Sindh Assembly, he said.

He said that Pir Pagara would attend the protest on Friday. GDA had won 11 directly contested seats in last general election, he said.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2024