22 July 2004	Thursday	04 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

THATTA, July 21: People's Party Parliamentarians MPA Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman has criticized Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim for using state machinery and resources in the election campaign of Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Talking to journalists at the press club here on Tuesday, he said the possibility of rigging in the by-election in Tharparkar could not be ruled out. Mr Jamiluzzaman observed that the chief minister had put his political career at stake by favouring Mr Aziz, who was a supporter of greater Thal canal and Kalabagh dam projects.

He said his party and patriotic people of Sindh would not even think of supporting the controversial projects. The PPP leader said it had been resolved by the party that if the rulers continued with their plan to construct the projects, the party would organize a march towards Lahore to register the voice of Sindh.

He said he would soon undertake a tour of Thatta and Badin districts and hold meetings with his disciples to motivate them to go to Thar and launch a campaign against Mr Aziz.

Mr Jamiluzzaman said he supported the party decision to field Mahesh Malani from the Thar constituency, though he would have felt honoured had he been selected to run for the NA-229 seat. He said Mr Malani had a track record of sacrifices for the party and due to his services for the downtrodden masses of Thar, he enjoyed a good reputation.

ARREST: Police with the help of villagers arrested two bandits after an encounter in the Mirpur Sakro taluka here on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference at his office on Tuesday evening, DPO Muzaffar Shaikh said five armed bandits blocked the Mirpur Sakro-Gharo road early Tuesday morning and looted cash and other valuables from passengers, most of them traders. The bandits also smashed windowpanes of vehicles and fled.

However, the DPO said the Sakro police and the villagers chased the bandits and after a brief encounter, arrested Suleman Zangyani and Mohammad Ali Soomro from a sugarcane field. Akbar Manchari and their two other accomplices escaped.

Police recovered a kalashnikov, a mouser, a 7MM rifle, Rs50,000 in cash and a motorcycle from their possession.