SUKKUR: Activists and supporters of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) blocked roads and National Highway by staging sit-in mostly in upper Sindh districts of Sukkur, Kandhkot-Kashmore, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Khairpur and Jamshoro in protest against ‘massive fraud’ in results of Feb 8 general election.

The party workers staged a sit-in in the middle of National Highway near Rohri at Piyala Hotel, leading to accumulation of long queues of passenger vans, buses and cargo trucks on both sides of the highway.

The local leadership of the party changed the protest venue from Motorway Interchange to the section of the highway at Piyala Hotel at the 11th hour. Many workers were heard questioning their leaders as to why the sit-in was being held at Piyala Hotel instead of Motorway Interchange but the protest organisers ignored their questions during the course of the protest.

What was noticeable about this JUI-F show was the relatively small number of workers. Many madressah students, the real strength of the party, were seen bringing beds and cloths with them during the protest.

The protest led to the worst traffic jams that lasted for several hours and great inconvenience to motorists, particularly motorcyclists including men, women and children.

Frustrated at being stuck in the traffic jams, they said that this manner of protest, which affected rights of other people, was not right. If political parties had objections to the election results, they should fight a constitutional and legal battle and move courts to get justice, they said.

They said that what good would it bring if traffic remained suspended and peoples’ lives were made more difficult by holding sit-ins.

They said that because of such constants sit-ins here and there, goods vehicles failed to reach their destination on time, creating shortage of food and encouraging hoarders to sell them at high prices.

The bike riders and commuters were heard saying that political parties should hold such demonstrations before the offices of the officials concerned and record their protest.

They appealed to leaders of political parties to reconsider the manner and method of their protest keeping in view interest of both general public and the country.

In Kandhkot-Kashmore, JUI-F

workers blocked a section of the

Indus Highway by staging a sit-in on the road in a protest against rigging in election.

The party sources said that the demonstrators suspended movement of vehicular traffic on Gola Mor (turning) connecting Sindh-Balochistan-Punjab provinces.

The protest was led by Abdul Qayyum Halejvi, Maulvi Shamsuddin Bheri, Maulvi Abdul Aziz Samejo, Maulvi Khan Mohammad Malik, Maulvi Habibullah Memon, Hafiz Saeed Ahmed Chachar, Hafiz Irfanullah Khoso and others.

Apart from JUI-F leaders, representatives of various political and social organisations, Ghazeen Khan Bijarani, Zareef Sagar Bijarani, Dilmurad Dahani, Shahnawaz Marhato, Asghar Ali Sheikh and others also participated in the sit-in and raised slogans against election fraud.

The leaders said in their speeches before the protesters that peoples’ mandate had been stolen and they had been left at the mercy of feudal and landlords. Massive rigging in 2024 general elections had set new records, which were worse than 2018 election fraud, they said.

They remarked that the officials, who were appointed as returning officers and deputy returning officers appeared helpless before the feudal lords. “We reject the result of the 2024 general election as the JUI-F mandate has been stolen and given to favourable candidates,” they said.

The said that they demanded only return their stolen mandate, otherwise they would continue to stage protests across Sindh.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2024