KARACHI, Feb 25: Leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly on Friday attacked the ruling party for including corrupt elements in its ranks, and demanded that the chief minister should take the provincial assembly in confidence over allegations of corruption against the sacked revenue minister.

Speaking at a news conference after a brief opening session of the assembly, requisitioned by the opposition, Mr Nisar Khuhro claimed that charges of corruption levelled by the chief minister, Arbab Rahim, against his sacked revenue minister Imtiaz Shaikh were a matter of concern for the people as they pertained to swindling of Sindh's assets, and cannot be hushed up as a matter concerning one political party.

Mr Khuhro pointed out that the opposition had requisitioned the session to discuss its agenda but in the intervening period Pandora's box of corruption was opened by the ruling party itself and if the assembly cannot give priority to such a grave matter, the purpose of summoning the assembly was lost.

He criticized the Speaker, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah for adjourning the session after half an hour, "without any provocation", and thus provided a "saving grace" to the ruling coalition. "Calling thief a thief is no crime, nor it is against parliamentary norms, said Mr Khuhro.

He said the opposition had requested the Speaker to take up his adjournment motion, out of turn, to discuss this urgent matter of public importance because a situation of uncertainty had arisen due to the allegations levelled by the chief minister, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, against the dismissed revenue minister Imtiaz Shaikh and the counter allegations of corruption and mismanagement made by him against the chief minister. It was, therefore, necessary that the matter be debated on the floor of the house immediately, he said.

Mr Khuhro pointed out that on many occasions the Speaker had allowed the treasury members to address the house without soliciting permission of members for waving the rules under 211. He alleged that Speaker was invoking the rules only against the opposition and that reflected his bias.

He claimed the situation was a sad commentary on the ruling coalition, whose benefactor Gen Pervez Musharraf had vowed to uproot corruption. But the people of Sindh had witnessed that the chief minister who was also provincial president of the ruling Muslim League dismissed his revenue minister, who was also party's general secretary in the province, on charges of corruption, he pointed out.

Mr Khuhro said that the chief minister had claimed that Imtiaz Shaikh had allegedly indulged in corruption since the days of Jam Sadiq Ali. Then how he became the leader of SDA, he asked and added why the chief minister failed to disclose earlier as to who was involved in the kidnapping of Santosh Kumar?

He also referred to news reports in which it was stated that 11 more ministers and deputy speaker of the assembly were under scrutiny and might face charges. He was of the view that when the government was implicating many of minister's in corruption, there was no moral authority left for the government when so many of its ministers were targeted for corruption.

Leader of the opposition, who was also joined by members of the MMA besides his own party members, also criticised the chief minister for allowing prime minister's inspection team to investigate in the matter and not taking the provincial assembly in confidence on the subject.

He criticised the chief minister for not being present in the house when the province was in the midst of a raging corruption scam and demanded that the chief minister should put the matter before the house and inform members what the charges against Imtiaz Shaikh were. Mr Khuhro said that the PPP Parliamentarians would not allow the government to hush up the matter.