Will take control of Sindh, not just bill: Opposition parties in Karachi protest against local govt law

• PTI, MQM-P and GDA stage protest against local government bill passed by the provincial assembly.
• "All other parties are present here and they will not allow PPP to continue running Sindh," says PTI's Khurrum Sher Zaman. 
• PTI's Ali Haider Zaidi warns Sindh government to take steps; calls protest a "trailer" of things to come.
  

KARACHI: Two major Opposition parties in Sindh, PTI and MQM, together with the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), staged a joint protest on Saturday at Fawwara Chowk against the local government bill passed by the provincial assembly.

Democratic parties will 'fight black law'

PTI leader Khurrum Sher Zaman on the occasion said that the democratic parties will "fight against the black law", adding that their aim is to introduce a stronger local government system.

While addressing the protestors, MQM member Khawaja Izharul Hassan said: "These people are here to take account of their tax money, and not to save their wealth or properties."

He said that the parties are "not here to call for an end to cases against fake accounts".

Hassan further said that these "black laws" will "never let justice prevail" in the country.

Calling the PPP government "tyrannical", he said that the government does not allow the common man to take charge.

"[And then] the cruel government accuses us of creating an ethnic divide," he said.

The MQM leader said that "all the other parties are present here and they will not allow PPP to continue running Sindh".

He questioned PPP member Nasir Hussain Shah about the buses that he promised to bring for Karachi's citizens.

'Next election will be the last for PPP'

While addressing the protest's participants, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi said that the next elections "will be the last for PPP".

Criticising the PPP government's performance in the province, he said that it "can't run any schools or colleges" and the schools "contain accommodation for the guests of feudals".

Providing an ultimatum to the Sindh government to "clean up their act", he called the protest as a "trailer" of things to come.

Talking in specific about the PPP march that is to take place on February 27, Zaidi said that PTI will march on the same day from Ghotki to Karachi, "to fight against the black laws".

'We will now take back Sindh, not just the bill'

MQM's Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said: "Democracy demands that the authority that a person is given be at par with their mandate." 

"We will take control of Sindh now, not just the bill," he said.

He warned the PPP government that "we will come back again to make a decision" and that the crowd will "march to the Governor House" if it has to as "it is not that far".

He further said that they will "force" the Sindh government to take back the bill if it fails to do so. 

The protest ended after some time and the protestors staged a symbolic sit-in before dispersing, according to Geo News.

— Thumbnail image: Facebook