THATTA, Dec 25: A five-member delegation of “International Republican Institute” (IRI) an international election observers mission in Pakistan, besides having detailed deliberations with almost all major contestants on national and provincial assemblies from Thatta district, also interviewed Thatta district nazim and the district administration here on Tuesday.
The team members Mr Oney Boon Keong (Malaysia), Crispy Kaheru (Uganda), Ms Roosaini (Singapore), Ms Sameera (USA) and Zulfiqar Halepoto held separate meetings with PPP candidates at Jilani house, PML-Q candidates at circuit house and district nazim and district administration at district nazim office Makli.
The PPP candidates for NA-237 (Thatta-I) and NA-238 (Thatta-II), Dr Wahid Soomro and Arbab Wazir Memon respectively and the contestants on five provincial assembly seats viz; Abdul Jalil Memon (PS-84), Sassui Palijo (PS-85), Syed Masood Mustafa Shah (PS-86), Ghulam Qadir Malkani (PS-87) and Haji Usman Jalbani (PS-88), were unanimously of the view that the Thatta district nazim and his elder brother, the caretaker provincial minister for food and agriculture, has fielded their five sons and a son-in-law besides one of their ally on all the seven national and provincial seats in the district.
They told the delegation that entire state machinery and authority was still lying with the Shirazis, and doubted holding of fair and impartial polls in such circumstances.
The PML-Q contestants, Riaz Hussain Shah Shirazi (NA-237), Syed Ayaz Ali Shah (NA-238), Syed Fayaz Hussain Shah (PS-84), Amir Hyder Shah (PS-85), Syed Shah Hussain Shah (PS-86), Mohammad Ali Malkani (PS-87) and Syed Imtiaz Shah (PS-88) refuted the allegations levelled by the PPP candidates and said they had no political face value.
They had always been dependant on party and emerged only at the time of elections and never served the masses, hence were afraid of the Shirazi group.
The district nazim, Syed Shafqat Hussain Shah Shirazi, while denying the allegations contended that the district council was honestly playing its due role in coordination with the district administration to help conduct fair and impartial polls and maintain law and order in the district and he had never intervened, convince or canvassed for his near and dear ones.
DCO Thatta Mohammad Usman Panhwar and other officers were also present during the meeting.
The committee, however, did not contact the important members of civil society to ascertain impartial facts from them.
