KARACHI – The political parties, protesting against the Sindh Peoples Local Government Law 2012 have not convinced the government on what ground they are opposing the law, said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon.
Addressing a Press conference at his office in Sindh Secretariat on Friday, the PPP government’s mouthpiece said that if nationalists and other parties convinced about their grievances with arguments, the provincial government will be ready for bringing amendments in the law.
Criticising the PML-N leadership, he alleged that PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif was financing elements involved in spreading anarchy and instigating hatred in Sindh through their protest against the Local Government Law.
Memon came down hard against the PML-N chief and said that the Nawaz Sharif had once again failed to enter Sindh before election as no reputed persons was ready to join his party, so he was trying to create anarchy through propaganda against the LG law.
The PPP is not afraid of such propaganda as well as protests as it is ‘enjoying’ the support of masses, he said, adding that the PPP is going to hold a big public rally on October 15 in Hyderabad, which will demonstrate its street power. He estimated that millions of people will participate in it.
He said that central leadership of the party including former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and other leaders will address the rally.
Accepting the challenge of the nationalists and other parties, the Sindh information minister said he was ready to hold debate with any nationalist on the Sindh Peoples Local Government law.
Memon said the PPP was trying to appease its estranged coalition partners and hoped they will be agreed.
He said that whenever elections come close, the anti-PPP forces get united to hatch conspiracies against it, declaring that the PPP leaders are not afraid of attacks in which their houses were targeted in interior parts of the province.
He claimed that Sindh Peoples Local Government Law 2012 was different from one imposed by military dictator General (r) Pervaiz Musharraf. He refuted the claims of the nationalist parties over LG law, and said that the SPLGA 2012 was different from 2001 and 1979, in which the revenue and police departments were not devolved to Mayors.
Meanwhile, members of Women Action Forum and Aurat Foundation had called for ensuring that all people are made compliant to and answerable before the law and constitution of the country. that people of the country, at every level, need to understand that anti-state actors have no constitution, against which their crimes could be measured or they may be held accountable for.
Activists associated with the two NGOs said victims of such designs range from that of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to the working women of Swat.