August 28, 2007	Tuesday	Sha’aban 14, 1428

THATTA, Aug 27: Condemning ‘derogatory remarks’ of Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim against women leadership, PPP MPA Sassui Palijo has said that he has betrayed those Thari women who voted for him during the Sindh Assembly elections and 19 women MPAs who brought him to power by casting their votes in his favour.

Dr Rahim, who launched the election campaign of Pakistan Muslim League’s Sindh chapter in Thatta on Sunday, while commenting on women leadership during his talk with a private TV channel, had said that women leadership was a “curse” on society and it could not deliver the goods.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club on Monday, Ms Sassui said that the statement showed Dr Rahim’s disregard for article 25 of the Constitution and he had no moral right to remain in power.

Recalling that Dr Rahim had remained a minister in a Benazir Bhutto-led government, she said that he had hurt the sentiments of about 50 per cent female population of the country.

Referring to a recent police raid on a Mirpur Sakro village, she alleged that the police in connivance with the local political opponents of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, had made the life of party activists miserable in Thatta district. She expressed distrust in the process of compilation of fresh voter lists and said that the list should be finalized in a transparent way.

PROTEST: Hundreds of destitute people, a majority of them women, blocked the National Highway in Thatta to protest against delay in payment of Baitul Maal payments.