KARACHI, Dec 29: Governor Ishrat-ul-Ibad has impressed upon the parliamentarians from Sindh that we will have to make some sacrifices for the stability and integrity of the country and that we will have to work jointly to protect the interests of Sindh as well as for the betterment of the common man.

The governor was addressing the parliamentarians at Darbar Hall of the Governor House here on Sunday. “We will have to give up the notion of ‘opposition for the sake of opposition’, forget bitterness of the past and start afresh to embark on a bright future with a positive approach.

He reaffirmed his determination to play his constitutional role as governor by treating everyone without any discrimination and pay an equal attention to every individual and area. He said that he had already taken an initiative and contacted Prof Ghafoor Ahmad and Nisar Ahmad Khuhro anticipating a positive response from them.

Dr Ibad held out the assurance that he would protect interests of all the people without any discrimination of caste and creed. He said he bore no personal grudge against any person belonging to any party or group.

About his meeting wit President Musharraf, he said: “both of us shared the common intention to bring stability to the country.” He said that they also agreed to forget the past, move forward and institutionalize the affairs.

He said: “I will take along every school of thought and political forces to see a better future for Sindh. Though I am the representative of the federation, I will play my due role in safeguarding the interests of Sindh because the development of this province will ultimately result in the development and stability of the country.”

Governor Ibad, however, said that it was no possible for him alone to achieve this goal and look after all the issues. “We will have to work jointly and tackle the issues after setting priorities,” he added.

The governor invited the PPP and MMA leaders as well as all those who had expressed their reservations over his appointment as governor, to join hands with him and adopt a positive approach for the sake of the country’s stability and progress.

Dr Ibad pledged to resolve the longstanding problems confronting the Sindh province and highlighted his priorities — bridging the rural-urban divide, improvement in the health, education and agriculture sectors, ensuring an adequate supply of potable water, containing unemployment. He said law and order was essential to accomplish the task.

Expressing his determination to establish the writ of law, he said peace and tranquillity were foremost requirement to generate investment and employment opportunities.

He said that he would be visiting every nook and corner of the province, along with the Chief Minister, Ali Muhammad Mahar, Liaquat Ali Jatoi and other leaders.