KARACHI: The joint opposition parties in Sindh Assembly staged a protest demonstration near Karachi Press Club (KPC), rejecting the Sindh Local Government Act 2021 and terming it a ‘black law’.

The joint rally led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) gathered at the Fuwara Chowk to demand the withdrawal of Sindh local government Act 2021, alleging that the law was promulgated against whims and wishes of Karachiites.

However, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi that has been holding sit-in outside Sindh Assembly for last 16 days against the law did not join the joint opposition.

Addressing the rally, MQM senior deputy convener Amir Khan announced that his party would also stage a sit-in against the controversial LG law.

MQM’s Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said now their struggle was not limited to the reversal of the LG law and they would also ‘take back the Sindh province from the PPP’.

PTI’s Federal Minister Ali Zaidi announced he would start a ‘march’ from Ghotki to Karachi on February 27, the same day Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would begin his march towards Islamabad from Karachi.

Amir Khan and Ali Zaidi issued an ultimatum to the Sindh government, saying that if the controversial local bodies law was not withdrawn within a week the joint opposition would shut down major Sindh cities, including Larkana, Dadu, Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad and Karachi.

Separately, JI Karachi Amir Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, who is leading their sit-in in front of the Sindh Assembly, said that his party would hold a protest at the Sharae Faisal, the main artery of the city, on Sunday.

He said the JI had communicated its demands to the Sindh government and if no meaningful response is seen from the government the party would announce its next plan of action on Sunday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022