SHIKARPUR, Jan 4: Former provincial minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh has demanded a neutral caretaker setup to conduct forthcoming general elections under the supervision of an independent election commission. He was talking to reporters at a corner meeting arranged by Wahid Bux Shaikh, nazim, Shikarpur union council-5, on Rustam Road on Thursday.

Mr Shaikh said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz were determined to improve socio-economic conditions of the people and provide basic amenities to them.

He expressed confidence in the leadership of Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) chief Pir Pagaro and its provincial president Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashidi and said that he was making efforts to increase party membership.

He said that the decision of issuing party tickets for the polls would be made by the PML-F central leadership, adding that as the party was a coalition partner, it could enter an election alliance.

Answering a question, Mr Shaikh said that he believed in positive politics and wanted to avoid negative tactics.

He expressed dissatisfaction over law and order situation in Shikarpur and other parts of Sindh and called on the Sindh government to improve law and order situation, particularly in Shikarpur district.

About tribal feuds going on in Shikarpur, Mr Shaikh said that due to the Sindh government’s lack of attention to settlement of tribal disputes, professional criminals had been encouraged to create lawlessness in the area.

He said that he had appealed to the president and the prime minister through a written application to take steps to resolve tribal feuds in Shikarpur so that lives of common men could be saved.

He welcomed new comers in PML-F. Those who joined the PML-F on the occasion included Wahid Bux, councillors Gulsher Shaikh and Iqbal Ahmed Arain.