KARACHI: Thousands of women staged a sit-in on the main University Road in Karachi on Thursday to protest the PPP-led Sindh government’s decision to pass a bill in the Sindh Assembly that would have further hampered the already limited powers of the local government establishment.
It was performed in tandem with the JI’s sit-in, which has been taking place outside the Sindh Assembly building for the past 21 days.
The sit-in was presided over by Durdana Siddiqui, general secretary of the JI women’s wing, Rukhahinda Muneeb, president of the Sindh chapter, and Asma Safeer, head of the Karachi chapter.
It is important to note that the sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly building persisted throughout the Sit-in period.
Engr Naeemur Rehman while addressing the female protesters said that the JI has launched a historic and the most prolonged sit-in in the history of Karachi.
He made it clear that the JI Welcomes only meaning full dialogues. He expressed his vow to continue the struggle for the megalopolis. We will not bow down, neither compromise on the due rights of Karachities, he said.
On the 21st day of the sit-in, the JI leader announced that a big party convention would be held on Sunday, January 3, to be addressed by JI Pakistan Ameer Sirajul Haq.
Reiterating his demands, he said that the megalopolis deserves an empowered mega city government and would not be able to survive if the federal and the provincial governments do not change their policies.
He asked the provincial ministers to carefully read the Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance 1972 and provide the same powers to city government setup as mentioned in the law constituted by none other than Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
He said that the black local government bill was passed based on majority in the provincial assembly despite the fact that its content was totally in violation of the constitution.
The JI leader said that the city generates 95 percent revenue for the province, contributes in revenue for the center by 70 percent, it also contributes in exports by 54 percent and generates 42 percent of total tax collection in the country. However, he maintained, the city was facing acute water shortage, infrastructure crises, shortage of electric supply and a very deep crises of gas among other issues.
Engr Naeem said both the center and the province are treating Karachi like a step daughter. JI leaders Osama Razi, Syed Abdul Rasheed and others also addressed the sit-in.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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