HYDERABAD, Jan 31: The Hyderabad district council is perhaps the first one whose members, majority of them belonging to PPP, have passed a resolution asking Gen Pervez Musharraf to continue as president for five years as desired by him “because under prevailing circumstances he is the most suitable leader to lead the masses”.

The resolution was adopted here on Thursday by a majority vote though some PPP members opposed it.

The council also passed another resolution, expressing utter dismay over slow pace of implementation of the devolution plan.

The members voiced concern over the failure of the concerned authorities to provide funds, staff and offices up to union council level.

The house also expressed grave concern over the fact that Hyderabad district had officially been neglected in respect of desilting campaign began this month all over Sindh.

A resolution was moved by Babu Ilyas that President Gen Pervez Musharraf should continue as president for five years.

Yousuf Qureshi also moved a similar resolution.

Some PPP members including Farheen Mughal tried to oppose the resolution but it was already passed. On a point of order, she however opposed the resolution like Ghulam Hussain Magsi did.

Deewan Kanahya Lal, Rauf Jafri, Sultan Khan, Hussain Bux Hussaini, Mohammad Ali Gohar, Dilshad Khan and Majeed Wahidi supported the resolution.

Abdul Karim Talpur and Abdul Rauf Jafri moved identical resolutions about the non-implementation on devolution plan.

The resolutions said that as the development funds had been left at the disposal of district government therefore it was expected that only negligible work would take place at the level of union councils.

Farheen Mughal said that candidates elected on the seats reserved for women, minority and labour should also be allocated funds.

The convener appreciated the spirit shown by the members during the last two sessions.

However, the house witnessed a unpleasant incident when an aged councillor Apa Badrun Nisa Qazi started crying and said that the convener had refused to take up her resolution which she had filed on the first session held on Sept 12, 2001.

She walked out of the council and her glasses were also broken when some her women colleagues tried to control her.

She said that she had been crying again and again that land mafia in UC-1 Qasimabad was trying to occupy a graveyard after taking over the possession of a school.

She said that her house had been attacked but neither the district council nor police authorities had taken any notice of it.

The session was adjourned sine die by convener Nawab Rashid Ali Khan after it disposed-of six resolutions and deferred one till the next session when it would be taken up for approval as it has already been debated.