KARACHI: Opposition parties in the province on Friday said that the killing of a prominent teacher associated with the IBA-Sukkur in Kandhkot reflected poor law and order and demanded that a strong action be taken against police and district officials for their `criminal negligence`.

Dr Mohammad Ajmal Sawand was on his way back to Sukkur from his Shawlivillage when attackers sprayed his car with bullets in the Shalo area of Kandhkot, killing him on the spot.

Condemning the incident, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Shiekh of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lashed out at the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government in the province and alleged that it had appointed `corrupt and incompetent` police officers for `certain objectives`.

He said that the murder of an educated person like Dr Sawand was a result of ineffective policing in Sindh.

`The police force in Sindh is actually not there to protect life and honour of people,` he said in a statement. `It`s there to protect the PPP feudal lords.

They are paid by the government for theprotection of interests of ministers, leaders and feudal lords of the PPP.

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

`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,` said the MQM-P coordination committee in a statement issued on Friday.

The party demanded that the Sindhchief minister take notice of the killing and bring the culprits to justice.

The Sindh United Party (SUP) came up with almost same thoughts.

SyedZain Shah ofthe party said there was resentment among the people of Sindh against the PPP government amid growing number of criminal activities across the province, nexus between police administration and the criminals and unchecked exploitation of local people through certain tribal elders.

`Apart from other crimes, there`s been a surge in kidnapping for ransom cases in Sindh,` he said.

`There`s an organised campaign that causes tribal clashes to achieve certain targetswhich claimhuman lives. Along with Karachi, no area of Sindh is safe for a common man. This is a result of 15-year rule of PPP. The PPP has ruined Sindh economically, politically and socially,` he added.

Teachers` organisations, students, bar associations, leaders of political, religious and nationalist parties, and civil society on Thursday held rallies anddemonstrations to condemn murder of PhD scholar Dr Ajmal Sawand.

In Kandhkot, activists of nationalist and religious parties and citizens staged a protest demonstration at Ghanta Ghar roundabout where local leaders of Jamaat-i-1slami, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party, Sindh United Party and other entities held feudal system responsible for the scholar`s death.

They said that Prof Sawand`s murder was anirreparable loss to the entire nation as the professor preferred teaching students in his homeland over staying on in France.

The protesters held Sindh government, state institutions and public representatives equally responsible for the loss.

District Bar Association president boycotted proceedings of the court in protest of against the murder while a large number of teachers and students in Daharki took out processions.

At a literary conference at Sachal shrine, poets and writers condemned the professor`s murder and observed one-minute silence to pay tribute to him.

In Larkana, Dr Safdar Abbasiand centralgeneral secretary of Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), MPA MoazzimAbbasi said in a statement the tribal clash had swallowed up the life of a prominent scholar.

They criticised the Sindh government for complete breakdown of law and order and dacoits rule and said the government must not only take measures to eradicate crimes but also eliminate the elements lending support to outlaws.

Social activists of Indus Forum called for capital punishment to the killers of Prof Sawand. Short story writers Manzoor Kalhoro, Jam Jamali, Ali Raza Gaad, Unais Lashari and others said in their statements that the jagirdari system had deprived the nation of a scholar.

Students of Chandka Medical College under the banner of students` action committee staged a protest at the institution to con-demn the professor`s murder. They called for punishment to not only the suspected killers but also their patrons and facilitators.

Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association`s Prof Mubeen Langah and Prof Shahabuddin Mangan de-manded immediate arrest of the culprits.

Rashid Mehmood Soomro, general secretary Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl said in a press statement the professor`s murder was an act of terrorism. The dacoits` culture, kidnapping for ransom and tribal terrorism were being promoted under a design in Sindh.

He asked the Sindh government make an effective policy to uproot the menace of kidnapping for ransom. The Sindh government had completely failed to establish peace in theprovince and its writ in Larkana and Sukkur divisions had entirely vanished, he said.

STP chairman Dr Qadir Magsi said that his party would stage protest against the murder across Sindh.

He said in a statement that entire Sindh was in mourning over the professor`s murder. Tribal clashes had become a nuisance for entire Sindh and must be stopped forthwith, he said.

Jeay Sindh Mahaz-Riaz chairman Riaz Ali Chandio said in a statement that the government was not taking any steps to control bloody tribal disputes which were now claiming lives of scholars and innocent women and children. He urged sessions judges of Ghotki, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Naushahro Feroze to take notice of all such incidents.