KARACHI: Only legislators can overcome crisis in Sindh: Noorani
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Dec 11: Allama Shah Ahmad Noorani, chief of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, has warned against any further delay in the holding of the Sindh Assembly session, scheduled for Thursday, saying that the session had already been postponed twice “just to facilitate the King’s party to buy members and create forward bloc in the opponent parliamentary groups.”
He said that if the session was put off again, the situation could deteriorate to the extent that people would take to the streets.
The people, he said, would erupt in protest against denying the elected representatives their right to run the affairs in accordance with the mandate given by the masses.
Allama Noorani, who was flanked by the MMA’s Sindh chief, Maulana Asadullah Bhutto, and parliamentary leader in the assembly, Maulana Umar Sadiq, was talking to a group of newsmen at the head office of the World Islamic Mission here on Wednesday.
Earlier, he had presided over the MMA’s parliamentary party’s meeting which was attended by Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro, Nasrullah Shaji, Yunus Barai, Muhammad Hashim Siddiqui, Qari Muhammad Usman, Sahibzada Abul Khair and other leaders.
The MMA chief observed that though crisis was looming large on Sindh due to the split mandate, it could be overcome only by legislators on the floor of the House and not outside it as the King’s party believed. He criticized the King’s party for its attempts to buy loyalties of the rivals’ elected representatives.
“The crisis will be over with the election of the Speaker,” he said adding: “We want to see the Sindh assembly functioning so that democratic process in the province could take its course and the elected representatives play their due role in addressing the people’s problems.”
Allama Noorani referred to the worsened lawlessness in the province despite the presence of the Rangers who, he deplored, had been swallowing a large part of the budget while sitting in the cosy and airconditioned rooms of the Quaid-i-Azam Hostel. “What is the utility of the Rangers’ presence in the province when people are unable travel through the interior during night hours.
He pointed out that poverty has hit Sindh like a plague and anarchy had led to the closure of industries. He observed that Nooriabad was supposed to be developed as the industrial hub of Asia but, barring a few units, the entire industrial state wore a deserted look due to the lawlessness.
Referring to the situation brewing in Landhi, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony and Lines Area, he said it seemed that problems were being created for the Jamali government under a conspiracy. He claimed that peace was being disturbed under the patronage of the Rangers. They, he alleged, were picking up innocent people and releasing them only after accepting illegal gratification. He remarked that the Rangers had adopted extortion culture of the MQM and that the people had been left at the mercy of extortionists and oppressors since there was no government in Sindh.
The MMA chief alleged that the crackdown and repression was being carried out as per the instructions from London. It appeared as if dictation was being taken from London in sorting out internal issues, he added.
Responding to a question, Allama Noorani said that the MMA had fielded no candidate for the office of the chief minister.
He also denied any understanding between the MMA and PPP recalling that the alliance had presented a 27-point memorandum to all the parties and groups seeking MMA’s cooperation in the formation of a government in Sindh. “We are awaiting their response,” he said.
The memorandum, he observed, was a manifestation of our principled stand which had been explained again and again by the MMA leaders — Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maulana Samiul Haq — that the president should not be in uniform; LFO was not acceptable; and oath would be administered only under the 1973 Constitution.
To another question, the MMA chief said that in view of the recent remarks by Ms Benazir Bhutto, question of any understanding with the PPP on the government formation simply did not rise.
Earlier, Maulana Asadullah Bhutto told newsmen that the MMA’s parliamentary group in Sindh assembly had met Allama Noorani for guidance with regard to the situation in the province, formation of government and the strategy during the inaugural session of the assembly.
He revealed that various parties and groups had approached the MMA but none of them appeared with a consensus candidate for Leader of the House. He said that it was the responsibility of all the parliamentary parties in the House to get rid of this major confusion.
Maulana Bhutto mentioned the impression that the Centre was interfering in the affairs of Sindh. In this regard, he indicated that the assembly session was postponed twice, efforts were under way to create forward bloc and the ruling clique was out to select speaker, deputy speaker and Leader of the House of its choice.
This impression, he said, was creating a negative impact on Sindh politics. He said it was the Centre’s duty to dispel the impression and create an atmosphere conducive to healthy politics where the elected representatives should be free to participate in the transparent and fair in-House elections.
