KARACHI, June 30: The Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Nisar Khuhro, on Wednesday criticized the government for the worsening law and order situation in the province, particularly Karachi, and stressed that "struggle alone is the way out of the oppressive system."

Mr Khuhro, who is also provincial president of the Pakistan People's Party, was speaking at a protest camp pitched outside the Karachi Press Club by the party activists against the murders of MPA Abdullah Murad, PPP's provincial information secretary Munawar Suhrawardi, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai and others.

He alleged that Mr Murad and Mr Suhrawardi were killed by the agents of the establishment who, he said, were not in favour of the democratic dispensation. He vowed to persist with the struggle against 'anti-people and anti-democracy elements'.

Mr Khuhro said that murder of the PPP leaders was a message to us by the establishment to abandon the struggle the party had launched for upholding the principles of democracy and rule of law. "But such tactics are not new to us," he said, adding that "those who can bear the pressure are targeted."

He slammed the government for not apprehending the killers of Mr Murad, Mr Suhrawardi and Mufti Shamzai and others and said it amply demonstrated the government's failure.

He said that when the corps commander's convoy was attacked the agencies apprehended the accused in a short span of time, but in the cases of Mr Murad, Mufti Shamzai and Mr Suhrawardi, the killers were still at large.

PPP activists were carrying placards, inscribed with demands of the arrests of killers of Mr Murad and Mr Suhrawardi. They chanted slogans against the Sindh governor and demanded the release of Asif Ali Zardari.

Mr Khuhro urged the party workers to accelerate their struggle for the restoration of 'real' democracy in the country, return of the party leadership from exile, arrest of slain leaders' killers and release of detained leaders and activists.

While the protesters demanded resignation of the government for failing to arrest those involved in different acts of terrorism which had left 73 people dead in the city since May, Mr Khuhro warned the government against letting the killers move around freely.

He accused the government of stifling the opposition's voice. In his speech, PPP's provincial general secretary Rashid Rabbani talked about the 'principled stand' of the party leadership and the excesses committed by the establishment. He declared that the PPP would not tolerate excesses. PPP leaders Haji Muzaffar Shujra, Habibuddin Junedi and others were also present.