KARACHI, Nov 28: Sixtyfive MPAs-elect of the Peoples Party Parliamentarians on Thursday registered their protest over the postponement of the inaugural session of Sindh assembly and demanded the governor to convene the session immediately.

The session, scheduled to be held on Thursday, was postponed indefinitely on Wednesday night at the request of the GNA leader, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim.

Led by their parliamentary leader, Nisar Khuhro, the PPP MPAs drove to the Sindh Assembly’s gate on Thursday and registered their protest against, what they called, ‘denial of fundamental rights to the people of Sindh.”

After a brief stay outside the Assembly building, they drove to the Karachi Press Club and held a news conference.

Speaking to newsmen, Mr Khuhro said that the people of Sindh were once again being targeted by undemocratic forces which, he said, were brazenly indulging in unethical method of horse- trading.

He demanded of the governor to convene the session without further loss of time and reminded him that the summoning of the session within 30 days of the issuance of the notification of election results was a constitutional requirement. Thus, he said, the postponement of the session was violation of the Constitution.

Responding to a question, he clarified that Governor’s rule could be imposed only when an elected government failed to discharge its responsibilities in accordance with the Constitution and rules of the concerned assembly. He said that any talk of the imposition of Governor’s rule on the province before the assembly had come into being “smacks of mala fide intentions.”

Claiming that once again an attempt was being made to cheat the people of Sindh and deprive their majority of a rule in accordance with their aspirations, Nisar Khuhro pointed out that the assemblies of Punjab, the NWFP and Balochistan had already met but the Sindh assembly had not been allowed to convene its session.

He described the postponement, twice in less than a week, as an insult to the mandate given by the people of Sindh for the sake of only facilitating the regime’s cronies.

“The government decision has seriously undermined its claim of transparency,” he said adding that the regime was deliberately perpetuating crisis to undermine people’s mandate.

The government, he said, postponed the session at the request of the GNA, which has only 14 members in the House of 168. He pointed out the government, while taking the decision, had ignored the will of all the major parties and groups in the House. He said that not only the PPP, but the MQM, MMA, and PML-F had also deplored the decision which clearly appeared to be aimed at facilitating horse-trading.

The majority party in Balochistan had been facing similar problems in forming a government but the assembly session had not been postponed there, he recalled.

Nisar Khuhro referred to the unparliamentary remarks of Dr Arbab Rahim that he would not let assembly function and create conditions for the imposition of Governor’s rule if he did not succeed in getting elected as CM. Mr Khuhro regretted that the assembly session was put off at the request of the same individual who had such an undemocratic approach.

The PPP leader observed that in the light of the GNA leader’s views, the mala fide intentions behind the unconstitutional move had become quite clear. Furthermore, he pointed out, the decision was taken only after Muttahida Qaumi Movement decided to go for opposition benches and the PPP, PML-F and MMA came closer to form a government in the province.

He insisted that the PPP and its allies had gained a clear majority in the House. Therefore, he added, the governor must convene the session immediately.

Mr Khuhro declared that the PPP was prepared to face the oppressive policies and that the government, despite it’s efforts, would not succeed in creating a forward bloc in Sindh.

Earlier in the morning, the PPP MPAs gathered at Bilawal House and received a briefing on the on-going negotiations with other parties on the formation of government. They were told by their leaders that the parlays with the MMA had remained fruitful.