KARACHI, Dec 11: The Pakistan Muslim League’s parliamentary party, at its meeting on Thursday, expressed disappointment over the performance of the provincial government, led by Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar. It was the parliamentary party’s first meeting after unification of five factions of the PML and merger with it of Sindh Democratic Alliance (SDA).
The meeting, which was also attended by three ministers — Altaf Hussain Unnar, Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh and Dr Saeeda Malik — decided to take up the issue with President Musharraf, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali and the PML chief Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, insiders told Dawn and described the decision as a ‘revolt’ against the chief minister.
The meeting, chaired by the leader of parliamentary party, Altaf Hussain Unnar, was convened in the Committee Room No.1 after Thursday’s assembly session. A many as 20 MPAs, three of them belonging to the now defunct PML-F and another five to the SDA, attended the meeting.
The legislators criticized the CM’s attitude towards the party colleagues and observed that Mr Mahar was avoiding to meet party MPAs and give them time.
“If his attitude continued to be so, how would the party legislators would be able to get problems in their constituencies solved?” they argued, and pointed out: “more than 75 per cent officials in the interior of Sindh enjoyed PPP support and, as such, the PPP MPAs were getting problems in their constituencies looked into.”
They warned that the attitude of the PML-led government would cast anegative impact and in the next elections the scenario of 1988 polls might emerge again. They recalled that the PML was routed from the province by the PPP in those elections.
The meeting accused the chief minister of taking a weak stand on the issue of sugarcane price and harming the interests of farmers, under the influence of millowners, by reducing the price by Rs2 per maund.
It observed that the chief minister was unaware of the ongoing flour crisis which had ultimately resulted in a hike in the price of Roti and affected common man.
People of Sindh have been facing great hardship due to aggravated unemployment problem, water shortage and poor law and order, it noted.
“If the CM did not change his attitude, people may take to the streets,” the parliamentary party cautioned the top PML leadership.
“It seems as if the Sindh government is being run by a PPP Nazim who has not in effect taken over the CM House but was interfering in the affairs of departments,” the MPAs remarked.
The meeting expressed astonishment over the current situation where PPP MPAs’ cases were getting full consideration while the summaries sent by ministers for approval were returned with one objection or the other. Minister for Population Welfare Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh advised the parliamentary party to take up the issue of the CM’s attitude with the CM himself first, instead of referring to the President, PM, or the party chief directly. He was of the view that Mr Mahar should be conveyed people’s discontent over his performance. If the CM remained adamant even after realizing the fact, then the matter should be taken up with the party high command, Pir Saheb Pagara and Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, he suggested.
Earlier on Wednesday, the legislators gathered at the residence of Mr Unnar to reaffirm under an oath that they would remain united and work to effect a change in the provincial set up. At the gathering, there were 18 MPAs who were later joined in by two more, Papoo Shah and Noor Ahmed Shah in the next meeting on Thursday.
Those who attended Thursday’s meeting were Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, Dr Saeeda Malik, Ali Bakhsh alias Papoo Shah, Rahila Tiwana, Eshwar Lal, Afshan Imran, Dr Ramesh Kumar, Sarfraz Shah Sheerazi, Hameeda Khuhro, Begum Gulzar Unnar, Naila Inam, Zulfiqar Kamario, Syed Manzoor Hussain Sheerazi, Sadaqat jatoi, Ehsan jatoi, Imtiaz Sheerazi, Syed Noor Mohammad Shah, Mehmood Jamote, Ms Fareeda Baloch and Faiz Muhammad Mahar.
