HYDERABAD: Activists of Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) and Pakistan Muslim LeagueFunctional (PML-F) held demonstrations in Sindh towns on Monday in protest against the Sindh government`s decision to cease applicability of National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999,in the province.

QAT president Ayaz Latif Palijo told journalists after addressing party workers and staging a token hunger strike outside the Hyderabad Press Club that those who had voted for the passage of the bill were supporters of corruption. Besides, the repeal of the NAB law in Sindh was in violation of Article 25 of the Constitution and the apex court should take notice of it, he said.

Regretfully, he said, Sindh Assembly was protecting the corruptinstead ofresisting unabated loot and plunder of Sindh`s resources.

He said that despite the fact that NAB`s performance was not so satisfactory as it should have taken action against big fish and corrupt ministers, still it did not mean that the institution should be done away with altogether.

He said the repeal of the NAB law meant that no action should be taken against Dr Asim, Nisar Morai, Sharjeel Memon, Zia Lanjar, Manzoor Kaka and casesof corruption amounting to trillions of rupees, land-grabbing and loot of resources.

He said that NAB was the only organisation for accountability which the `corrupt` PPP government wanted to abolish in order to save its skin. The PPP wanted an institution which remained subservient to the provincial government, he said.

Mr Palijo lambasted PPP government for its complete failure to establish even one quality hospital or university in Sindh and said the so-called Anti-Corruption Establishment was meekly obedient to the provincial government.

Members of PPP and MQM were engaged in a noora kushti in the assembly like they did way back in 2012, he said.

He said the ruling party wanted an inspector general of police for 2018 elections who could throw PPP`s rivals into prison and ensure the party`s win through rigging.

Therefore, A.D. Khowaja was facing the music, he said.

He said that PPP was using water as a weapon to punish rivals and render their farmland barren and reward favourites. For instance, direct outlets were allowed for the farmland owned by Asif Ali Zardari and Khurshid Ahmed Shah which flowed with water to the brim round the year, he claimed.

He termed PPP government`s announcement of 100,000 jobs in its last year of the current tenureas an attempt to keep its grip on power intact. All jobs should be given through the National Testing Services or the Institute of Business Administration after holding tests and ensuring merit, he said.

Mr Palijo said that PPP government should be held accountable for expenditures of Rs900 billion of last fiscal year and explain why development works could not be executed despite huge spending.

He alleged that Rs600bn were siphoned off every year from Sindh. MPAs and MNAs were given Rs100 million each to manage next year`s elections, he said.

Is Sindh a colony? He asked whether Sindh was a colony of Asif Zardari and wondered why a joint investigation team was not formed to look into his Swiss bank accounts or Surrey manor. No JIT was formed either to probe illegal occupation of land belonging to forest, irrigation and Auqaf departments, he said.

He said that newborns were dying in Tharparkar, minority women did not have any protection and 6,000 schools were still lying closed in the province but it did not bother the federal government which chose to remain silent on the deteriorating state of affairs in Sindh.

Mr Palijo said that establishment of new sugar mills was banned only to forcibly swallowsmall famers` sugar cane. PPP had turned into a mafia, he alleged.

QAT leader Dr Gulzar Jumani, Pal(istan Tehreek-i-Insaf`s Ali Palh, PML-F`s Essan Wassan and others were also present at the gathering.

PML-F rally In Tando Mohammad Khan, PML-F activists took out a rally, which culminated in a demonstration and sit-in outside the press club, demanding the PPP members and ministers who supported the passage of the anti-NAB bill should resign from their positions.

Local party leaders Syed Zulfikar Ali Shah, Ghulam Farooq Bhatti and others, who led the protest, said that PPP was exploiting democratic system to protect its corrupt ministers and members.

They said the rampant loot and plunder of resources had brought bad name to Pakistan internationally and jeopardised national interests.

They demanded stern action against corrupt politicians and said Sindh ministers were so engrossed in corruption that they had completely ignored problems of their voters. They no longer held open katchehries nowadays to listen to people`s complaints, they said.

They said that a strong anti-PPP forum was the need of the hour.

Only such a forum could rid people ofcorruptrulers.SUKKUR: PML-F Sindh vice president Mir Asghar Khan Panhwar has said the PPP wants to abolish the NAB law so that it can have a free hand in committing corruption and saving the skin ofits corruptleaders.

He told journalists in Jacobabad on Monday that massive corruption of billions of rupees was committed during present PPP rule in Sindh. If the NAB law was abolished corruption would reach its peak and nobody would ever dare take action against the corrupt, he warned.

Because of large-scale corruption, he said, every town and village of Sindh was giving the look of Moenjodaro. The times demanded that honest leadership should come forward to bring an end to the corrupt mafia forever, he said.

Meanwhile, activists of Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) took out a rally in Jacobabad in protest against rampant corruption in district health department.

The rally marched on different roads before reaching the press club where the participants held a sit-in and raised slogans against the government.

Local STP leaders Nizam Mastoi, Abdul Sattar Jagirani and others demanded an end to corruption in the health department and warned of staging a strong protest if the government failed to cleanse the department of the menace.