HYDERABAD: Awami Tehreek leaders on Friday urged Supreme Court to take a suo motu notice of alarming rise in extrajudicial killings and worsening law and order conditions in the province.

They said at a convention of the party’s Hyderabad district chapter and a conference titled “Save resources — save Sindh” that amendments to Irsa Act be withdrawn and lands allocated for corporate farming be returned and given to local farmers.

They expressed concern over what they described as sale of Sindh’s natural resources, land, water, oil, gas, coal, Karoonjhar Hills and other assets to multinational companies and foreign investors.

They demanded dissolution of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, restoration of democracy and provincial autonomy according to the spirit of 1940 Resolution.

AT central leader Noor Ahmed Katiar, AT Hyderabad district president Sarmad Rajpar, central vice president of Sindhyani Tehreek Husna Rahujo, federal secretary of Awami Workers Party Bakshal Thalho and others emphasised that Pakistan should be governed according to the principles of the Father of the Nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

They lashed out at Pakistan Peoples Party, accusing it of selling away Sindh for the sake of power, and voiced concern over continued plunder of the province’s water share.

They said that corporate farming projects could be supplied water only after amending the Irsa Act.

This amendment authorised the centre to freely construct new canals and dams and sell away Indus water to foreign investors, they said.

They said that Sindh was being exploited and its fertile lands were being grabbed by mafias and encroachers, who were displacing locals. Sindh government had destroyed law and order conditions, they said.

They said that courts had a nominal existence and doors of justice were literally closed to public. Despite being a powerful institution, courts failed to intervene in critical issues, they lamented.

They said that institutions of justice had turned a blind eye to current situation where extrajudicial killings were taking place and bodies were being burnt with complete impunity.

The convention elected a new body of AT’s district chapter with Sarmad Rajpar as president, Abdul Hayee Bhutto as vice president and Ashok Kumar as general secretary.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2024