KARACHI, Oct 3: The Sindh Bachayo Committee has termed the new local government legislation a “black law” and rejected it, saying the way it was adopted in the Sindh Assembly was also undemocratic.

The SBC also criticised Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro for ignoring the protest of lawmakers who were opposing the bill.

Declaring the law as unanimously passed was the negation of democratic principles, which called for recording objection even if it was made by one member of the house.

This was stated by SBC convener Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah at a press conference on Wednesday evening at Hyder Manzil after presiding over a meeting held to review the situation and formulate a strategy to continue their protest until the repeal of the new law. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazal), Jamaat-i-Islami and other political and religious parties.

Mr Shah, who is also the chief of the Sindh United Party, said whole Sindh had risen in protest for the last one week against the law. “The people had mandated the Pakistan People’s Party to form a government, not to divide Sindh,” he said and added that the new law was a joint bill of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and not a bill reflecting aspirations of the people, and the SBC had decided to continue its struggle against the law until it was repealed.

He said the SBC had also decided to launch a mass contact campaign. A sit-in would be staged against it outside the Karachi Press Club on Oct 10, followed by a public meeting on Oct 12 in Badin, he added.

Mr Shah said the committee had decided to continue to stage sit-ins and hold protest rallies against those lawmakers who had “betrayed and compromised the interests” of the province by supporting the bill.

The SBC chief said taking out rallies and staging sit-ins was a democratic right of the people, but in Nawabshah and elsewhere brutal force was used that resulted in the death of an activist and injuries to many workers. Alleging that numerous people protesting against the law had been arrested, he said in Nawabshah, President Asif Ali Zardari’s hometown, the Rangers and other law-enforcement agencies had created a curfew-like situation.

Holding the government responsible for the situation, he said an FIR would be lodged for the killing against the chief minister.