KHAIRPUR, Nov 13: The president of People's Party Parliamentarians, Sindh, Qaim Ali Shah, has said that the law and order situation in Sindh has deteriorated to the extent that the provincial government has decided to legalize the jirga system.

Calling upon the Supreme Court to take suo-motu notice of the matter, he said that the legalization of jirga system will further push the rural people into slavery, render the existence of police redundant and damage the status of judiciary.

He was talking to newsmen at an Iftar party hosted by PPP activist Comrade Bashir Mallah in the Soomar Mallah village near here on Friday. Referring to the statement of the Sindh chief minister that fishing contracts in Badin had given to Rangers during the PPP government of Syed Abdullah Shah, he said that there had been such a move but it had been rejected by Mr Shah.

He said that the Rangers had nothing to do with fishing in Badin and only local fishermen had the right. He announced that the Sindh PPP would stage a long march from Hyderabad to Karachi on December 7 to pressurize the government to allow Benazir Bhutto to return and release Asif Ali Zardari.

He further said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf, by amending Constitution, had acquired more powers than General Zilaul Haq. He added that through 17th amendment, the status of parliament and prime minister had been undermined.

About water crisis in Sindh, he said that there was an acute shortage in the province because water of the River Indus was being stolen at upcountry. He refuted the allegations that funds for Kalabagh dam had been allocated by the PPP government and said that record proved that Ms Bhutto had rejected the dam project.

He said that Sindh's stance over the Greater Thal canal had not been considered and alleged that the chief minister had no objection to the Kalabagh dam. He said that the dam construction would require 30 to 40 billion rupees which should rather be used to eliminate unemployment in Sindh. Mr Shah said that in the oil and gas projects in Badin, Thatta and Khairpur districts, the local people were not being employed even for ordinary jobs.