Rulers responsible for drugs, inflation and electoral rigging in Sindh, says Rashid Soomro

Sanghar (Hasnain Ashiq Saand)Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Sindh secretary general and central leader Maulana Rashid Mahmood Soomro has alleged that the prevailing rulers are responsible for the rising menace of narcotics, inflation, corruption, tribal conflicts, lawlessness and alleged electoral rigging in Sindh.

Speaking to media persons during a district meeting of JUI-F Sanghar in Tando Adam, he said those in power had not come through the people’s mandate but through money and influence, and therefore were more interested in protecting their own interests than resolving public issues.

The meeting was presided over by JUI-F Sindh provincial emir Maulana Abdul Qayyum Halijvi and attended by elected members of the district and tehsil-level general council.

Mr Soomro reiterated his party’s stance that both the 2018 and 2024 general elections were marred by rigging and lacked transparency. He claimed that neither the 2018 nor the 2024 assemblies truly represented the people’s mandate and demanded immediate dissolution of the current assemblies followed by fresh, free and fair elections.

He said national policies were being dictated by the IMF and other international institutions, while legislation in assemblies was being carried out under foreign pressure and on the recommendations of NGOs.

Questioning the government’s economic policies, he asked why Pakistan could not import cheaper oil from Iran to provide relief to the public if it could maintain diplomatic relations globally. He demanded an immediate reduction in petroleum prices to ease inflationary pressure on citizens.

Referring to the issue of narcotics, he alleged that influential elements were patronising the illegal drug trade in Sindh. He claimed that recovery of drugs and weapons from a police mobile and the seizure of millions of rupees allegedly linked to narcotics from a police officer’s residence were evidence that the drug network was operating under official patronage.

He warned that the younger generation had fallen victim to dangerous drugs, including ice and heroin, and said almost every household was being affected.

Mr Soomro said JUI-F had led a historic protest from Kashmore to Karachi for the protection of the Indus River and to safeguard Sindh’s water rights. He added that the party would continue political resistance against the PPP leadership, including protests, assembly sieges and marches against inflation and for Sindh’s rights.

He also announced that a grand international congregation would be held in Sukkur from March 19 to 21, 2027, with participation expected from across Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechnya and Bosnia.

He said religious scholars from the Holy Kaaba, Masjid-i-Nabvi and Masjid-i-Aqsa would also be invited to raise a collective voice for global peace, unity of the Muslim Ummah and justice.

Expressing concern over delays in hearing petitions regarding alleged rigging in the 2018 and 2024 elections, he said if the elections were truly transparent, the courts should immediately hear the cases so that facts could be established.