August 10, 2006	Thursday	Rajab 14, 1427

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KHAIRPUR, Aug 9: The president of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, has ruled out the possibility of “free and fair” elections under Gen Pervez Musharraf and demanded an impartial and non-political set-up to oversee 2007 elections.

Mr Shah said while addressing a gathering and later talking to newsmen on Tuesday that the preparation of voter lists was in reality the start of pre-polls rigging.

According to the constitution, the voter lists should be prepared after each ten years but the Sindh government had started its preparation barely after five years, which was no doubt against the constitution, he argued.

He charged that the ruling party officials were preparing voter lists in their bungalows.

He called resignations by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) a drama and said that the MQM ministers claimed that they were working for the welfare of Sindh and Sindhis but in fact their resignations served their own personal ends and not Sindh’s.

Mr Shah said that the ruling party was busy settling personal scores letting the province’s administration to go to the dogs. The rains had played havoc in the province especially in Badin and Thatta districts and various diseases had broken out but the Sindh government had still not taken any concrete step to help people, he regretted.

He demanded a relief package for all the rain affected areas in Sindh particularly for Thatta, Badin and Khairpur districts.

PROTEST AGAINST ISRAEL: The District Bar Association on Wednesday staged a procession to protest against Israel’s relentless bombardment of Lebanon.

The procession led by DBA President Sher Mohammad Shaikh and People’s Lawyers Forum President Liaquat Shar passed through Naseem Kharal Road and culminated at the press club.

The leaders said that Israel was deliberately targeting civilians to decimate innocent women and children but America was still giving it rope to continue atrocities.

WOMAN DIES: A woman died and two boys suffered injuries when six houses in Relai Maitlo village collapsed on Tuesday evening.

Nabul Maitlo died when her house caved in and Shahzeb and Shoaib sustained injuries after the roof of their residential quarter in civil hospital collapsed onto them.