Possibilities of alliance?: Opposition mounts pressure against Sindh’s new LG laws
The opposition parties have taken a joint initiative to lodge protest against the new LG laws passed by the Sindh Assembly.
KARACHI: The opposition parties have taken a joint initiative to lodge protest against the new local government (LG) amendment bill passed by the Sindh Assembly, however, they failed to create a single platform to mount pressure against the provincial government to further amend the laws.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), an ally political party of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the Centre, had organised the all parties’ conference (APC) on the day the Sindh Assembly passed the LG amendment bill.
14 political parties on same page
The MQM-led December 11 APC had gained confidence of at least 14 political parties to reject the controversial local government (LG) laws passed by the Sindh government.
The political parties had termed the latest amendments a violation of Constitution’s Article 140 and demanded the provincial government to immediate withdraw the new LG laws.
Protest demonstration
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had also demanded the withdrawal of new LG laws in its all stakeholders’ conference held in Karachi on Sunday and decided to hold a protest demonstration on December 19.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Awami National Party (ANP) and other political parties had attended the PTI-led all stakeholders conference besides the attendance of industrial and business personalities from FPCCI, KCCI and other organisations. However, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pak-Sarzameen Party (PSP) were reportedly not invited in the event.
JI, PSP contacts
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), a religio-political party that has recently run a strong campaign for Karachiites titled ‘Haq Do Karachi Ko’, has also expedited efforts to gather support of political parties for pressurising the provincial government to withdraw the controversial LG laws.
In a recent development, PSP Chairman Mustafa Kamal met JI Karachi Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman at Idara Noor-e-Haq where both political parties pledged joint efforts ‘from their own platforms’ to counter Sindh government’s tactics to seize powers of LG institutions and promoting ethnic politics.
On December 11, the Sindh Assembly had passed the new LG amendment bill with a majority amid the strong protest from the opposition as their lawmakers raised slogans and traded blows with the treasury benches on the floor of the house.
The opposition lawmakers expressed extreme outrage for being called ‘illiterate’ by the Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah during his speech. They demanded Sindh CM to tender apology for his derogatory remarks against the opposition lawmakers.
