Opposition parties slam PPP for murder of educationist Ajmal Sawand

Karachi [Pakistan], April 8 : Opposition parties in the province on Friday said that the murder of a famous teacher associated with the IBA-Sukkur in Kandhkot was indicative of a lack of law and order, and they demanded that police and district authorities face harsh punishment for their "criminal negligence," reported Dawn.

Dr Mohammad Ajmal Sawand was returning to Sukkur from his Shawli village when gunmen opened fire on his car in the Shalo area of Kandhkot, killing him on the spot.

PTI Leader Haleem Adil Shiekh lashed out at the Pakistan People's Party-led government in the province and alleged that it had appointed "corrupt and incompetent" cops for "certain objectives", according to the report in Pakistan's daily.

In a statement, he said, "The police force in Sindh is actually not there to protect the life and honour of people." He added, "It's there to protect the PPP feudal lords. They are paid by the government for the protection of interests of ministers, leaders, and feudal lords of the PPP."

Condemning the killing of Dr Sawand, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-P) called it unfortunate that the tribal feud in rural Sindh had claimed the life of a genius teacher who returned to the country after acquiring an education in France to serve his own people.

In a statement issued on Friday, the MQM-P coordination committee said, "The MQM-P has always condemned tribal clashes in Sindh. This saga has claimed so many lives but, unfortunately, the provincial government has failed so far to stop this menace despite all resources and power."

The party has also demanded that the Singh chief minister take notice of the killing and bring the culprits to justice.

The Sindh United Party (SUP) too had similar thoughts.

SUP's Syed Zain Shah said that the growing number of criminal activities across the province, the connections between police administration and the criminals, and the unchecked exploitation of locals by certain tribal elders have caused resentment among Sindh's citizens towards the PPP government, as per Dawn.

He said, "Apart from other crimes, there's been a surge in kidnapping for ransom cases in Sindh."

He added, "There's an orgsed campaign that causes tribal clashes to achieve certain targets which claim human lives. Along with Karachi, no area of Sindh is safe for a common man. This is a result of the 15-year rule of PPP. The PPP has ruined Sindh economically, politically and socially," Dawn reported.