March 04, 2007	Sunday	Safar 14, 1428

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HYDERABAD, March 3: Sindh Minister for Mineral Resources Irfanullah Marwat has rejected the assumption that Balochistan is the largest gas producer in the country and said that Sindh’s share stands at 73 per cent of the total gas produced in the country.

Mr Marwat accompanied by Irrigation Minister Nadir Akmal Leghari was speaking at a press conference at the local circuit house on Saturday after delivering an invitation to Awami Tehrik chief Rasool Bux Palijo to attend an all-party conference on provincial autonomy being convened by the provincial government.

The APC is aimed at ascertaining views of all the stakeholders so that proposals could be put forward to the central government with a collective wisdom.

Mr Leghari said that main objective of the APC is to seek views of all parties before presenting Sindh's case to the centre viz-a-viz provincial autonomy.

He said that political parties’ suggestions would enable the Sindh government to present a solid case to the federal government.

“We are continuing with this process so that a joint strategy can be devised to find out solution of issues facing Sindh”, he said. He said that the APC being convened by Nawaz Sharif is aimed at safeguarding his own interests whereas the government-sponsored APC would help protect interests of Sindh. He said that it is not the nationalists' job alone to speak over Sindh's issues but everyone should do that.

Mr Marwat disagreed with a questioner that the official APC is an stunt given the fact that elections are just round the corner.

He said that had that been the case, the government would not have invited all political parties to discuss the issue. He said that invitation had been handed over to Mr Palijo, Syed Qaim Ali Shah of the PPP, Dr Khalid Mehmood Soomro of the JUI, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Mumtaz Bhutto of the SNF and other nationalist and political parties, besides some individuals.He said that since the issue of provincial autonomy had become a reality, therefore, efforts were being undertaken to project Sindh's case in the right perspective by collecting viewpoint of all the stakeholders. He said that proposals once collected would certainly be discussed in Sindh Assembly.