November 30, 2002	Saturday	Ramazan 24, 1423

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KARACHI, Nov 29: People’s Party Parliamentarians chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim said on Friday that by indefinitely postponing the Sindh Assembly session the regime had bulldozed the chances for an early restoration of the Senate owing to which lawmaking would be obstructed and democracy would remain a myth.

Talking to newsmen at an Iftar party, Mr Fahim said the situation had plunged the country into a constitutional crisis in which the people of Sindh would feel marginalized as their democratic rights and aspirations would remain suppressed.

He said that if Sindh Assembly was not allowed to function, people of Sindh would not be able to elect their senators. As a consequence, the Federation’s symbol would remain in oblivion and enable the regime to rule through ordinances.

He said that by taking this decision the regime had smashed its own tailored democratic dispensation only to prevent the PPP from coming to power.

The postponement, he said, amounted to denying the people of Sindh their fundamental rights and pushing the country to the brink of dangerous consequences.

He said the regime had tailored laws and created forward blocs to prevent the PPP from coming to power, which had made the government’s credentials questionable. In Sindh, he said, the PPP had a clear majority to form the government.

Mr Fahim said that after the MQM’s decision to sit on the opposition benches, technically Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali should seek a vote of confidence because his majority had become questionable.

Asked whether the PPP had requisitioned the session for this purpose, he replied in negative and said all options were being examined.

In reply to a question, he said constitutional experts should examine the validity of the oath administered to the government and governors under the 1973 Constitution by those who had earlier been administered the oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order.

Asked whether the PML-Q had established contact with the PPP in the wake of the MQM’s withdrawal of its support to the government, as it had done in case with the MMA to avert a crisis, Mr Fahim said “the government has not formally contacted us. But I have come to know of it through press”.

There were reports that some important person had met Mr Fahim through the same intermediary who had organized the “chance meeting” at Pir Suhawa.

Asked whether the MQM had contacted him after the new development, he said pleasantries were exchanged.

Asked about his talks with Pir Pagara on Thursday, Mr Fahim said Pir saheb had invited him over dinner during which political matters were discussed. He, however, avoided to divulge details of his discussion.