ISLAMABAD, June 10: Chairman Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) and President People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) Makhdoom Amin Fahim has expressed his serious concern over the deteriorating law and order situation
in the country in general and in Sindh in particular.
Speaking at the "Dialogue" programme of the National Press Club here on Thursday, the PPP president said the change of the Sindh chief minister would serve no purpose. "The situation will not improve by mere change of faces," he added.
Accompanied by MNA Raja Pervez Ashraf and Senator Raza Rabbani, Mr Fahim said bomb blasts were taking place in mosques and the law and order situation was becoming worse. "No one is feeling safe in the country," he said.
Referring to the attack on the jeep of Karachi corps commander, Mr Fahim said if top military brass was not safe today then what would be the fate of the common man.
About the recent offer of forming a national government in Sindh, Mr Fahim said that he had not asked Ch Shujaat that the PPP should be given chief ministership. He also denied Ch Shujaat's statement that after the 2002 elections the PPP was invited to form the government in Sindh.
At that time, he said, the regime had told them that they would not allow the PPP to form the government, come what may. He confirmed that his son was offered the office of the chief minister. He said they wanted his son to first quit the PPP to be made the chief minister.
He said whenever the voice of the majority was suppressed the country faced a disaster. He said though the assemblies and parliament were there, still one man was calling the shots.
He said every institution in the country had been made redundant. At present, not a single institution is in a position to take decisions independently, he said, adding so much so that the judiciary was not functioning independently.
He said the whole country was bearing the brunt of the wrong policies of the late military dictator Ziaul Haq. "For how long these sufferings will continue, it's difficult to imagine," he added.
He said during the October 2002 elections, the military regime had tried to keep the PPP out of politics only because it was headed by Benazir Bhutto. However, he said, Ms Bhutto intelligently foiled this attempt by getting the party registered in the name of the PPP Parliamentarians.
He said the PPP took part in the election considering it a democratic process. He said huge rigging took place during the polls, results were changed and the chief election commissioner remained unmoved. He said after the elections, the government kept them engaged in talks and behind the curtains, they carried out a foul play.
He said when the military regime failed to form Jamali government despite defection of 10 PPP members, they released Maulana Azam Tariq from the jail on the condition that he would support Mr Jamali in the elections. "Thus Jamali government was formed with this one vote of Maulana Azam Tariq," he said.
The PPP president said price-hike and unemployment had broken the back of the people. He said there were rumours that Mr Jamali was about to be sacked. Quoting the example of Sindh chief minister, he said in Pakistan rumours always became a reality.
Replying to a question, he said the PPP would decide about support to Jamali or otherwise when the time would come. Responding to another question, he said the PPP was ready for the next elections.
