Forward bloc in Sindh PML formed; meets Musharraf today
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, July 25: A forward bloc was formally formed in the ruling Pakistan Muslim League in Sindh against Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim which also announced to take up their grievances with President Gen Pervez Musharraf in their meeting scheduled for Wednesday, circles close to the bloc confided to Dawn.
This new development, according to the insiders, resulted in scuttle the parliamentary party meeting which was summoned by the chief minister at the CM House on Tuesday evening. The rebel members, who went to attend the meeting at 9 pm, two hours behind the scheduled time, hardly stayed there for 10 minutes where they made it clear to the chief minister that his way of handling affairs manifested as if the PML is being turned into a personal league.
“The senior party members have been ignored totally and they would take up the matter with the party high command as this attitude of the provincial party chief would be harmful for the party in Sindh.”
The group later left the CM House without taking the dinner, the insiders confided to Dawn.
The group, which earlier at their meeting held at the residence of Sardar Ali Gohar Mehar, had decided not to participate in the meeting summoned by the chief minister, following intervention by authoritative circles, went to the meeting only to record their protest.
The forward group, which included MPAs from all the three main factions in the ruling PML led by Sardar Ali Gohar Mehar, Imtiaz Ahmad Shiekh and Liaquat Ali Jatoi, prior to go to the CM House, converged at the Mehar House where they met three hours and decided that onwards all decisions would be taken jointly by the group.
They also decided against attending the meeting of the chief minister as a protest. They said that not only development work in their constituencies were not being carried but interference from the chief minister’s house in their administrative matters was also increasing.
They also decided that on Wednesday when they would meet President Gen Musharraf, they would inform him also about their inability to go along with Dr Arbab Rahim.
Those present at the meetings were three federal ministers Liaquat Ali Jatoi, Ghous Bux Mehar, and Raja Khan Mehar, four provincial ministers Ali Bux Shah alias Papoo Shah, Altaf Unnar, Dr Sohrab Serki, Sardar Manzoor Panhwar, six district Nazims Karim Bux Jatoi from Dadu, Arif Mehar fro Shikarpur, Sardar Ali Gohar Mehar from Ghotki, Muhammad Bux Arejo from Larkana and Sughra Juenjo from Mirpurkhas,besides Senator Nisar Memon, Senator Yasmin Shah , MPAs Imtiaz Ahmad Sheikh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sadaquat Jatoi, Ehsan Ali Jatoi, Sardar Ali Muhammad Mehar, Usman Malkani, Asad Junejo, Ghulam Quadir Malkani and other senior party leaders.
