February 23, 2008	Saturday	Safar 15, 1429

HYDERABAD, Feb 22: After the party’s ignominious defeat in general elections, Pakistan Muslim League-backed district nazims of Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan and Tando Allahyar are faced with an uphill task of survival as they are likely to face recall motions in their district councils by PPP-backed Awam Dost Panel (ADP) members.

PPP’s candidates have once again gained grounds in Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammad Khan and Matiari districts, bifurcated in April 2005 by the outgoing Sindh government. Now PPP has grabbed one and two each seats of national and provincial assembly seats in Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan and Tando Allahyar districts in the recently-held general elections.

After having achieved majority of seats in Sindh Assembly, the PPP seemed to be all set to start tabling recall motions once formation of federal and provincial government is completed. As a prelude to motions, activities have begun within PPP to get required majority in all those district councils where such recall motions are to be tabled.

For instance, the Tando Allahyar district nazim Dr. Rahila Gul Magsi, sister of former Sindh revenue minister Irfan Gul Magsi, is ready to face recall motion and she has also started holding meetings with her allies in the district. Tando Allahyar district council comprises 28-members, including 19 on general seats, seven reserved seats of women and one each of minority and labour.

According to Dr.Irfan Gul Magsi, majority of members are with his sister and opponents would not be able to table such a motion because 19 members are required for it.

However, the district PPP president Zia Abbas Shah while conceding that 12 members belonged to PPP’s Awam Dost Panel, the required majority would be achieved for filing recall motion as efforts continued to persuade other members whose names could not be disclosed.

District Nazim Matiari Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote is quite confident that PPP would not be able to oust him through recall motion because he still commands majority in 27-member district council. A total number of 18 members are required for recall motion. “For past two years they have been talking about tabling recall motions against me but failed. I will soon be holding a press conference to prove my majority in the house”, he said.

However, younger brother of Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Dr. Makhdoom Rafikuz Zaman, said that efforts to get support of required number of members in district council to replace PML-F-backed nazim continued by him. “We are only short of three members as only 18 members are required for filing a recall motion. We had 12 ADP-members and recently three have joined us so we need only three more now”, he said.

In Tando Mohammad Khan, according to PPP district president Amin Lakho, ADP has only two members but he is hopeful that given the recent PPP victory in polls, more members would soon change their loyalties. “We had only four UC nazims when LG elections were held in 2005 and two of them defected to rivals”, he said.

The district council of Tando Mohammad Khan consists of 23 members including 16 UC nazims, five of women and one each of minority and labour. A close aide of district nazim Mir Inayat Talpur said that only three members belonged to ADP. “They are just talking about recall motions given recent victory in elections otherwise they know that they can’t succeed”, he said.

According to section 24(4) of Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001, “the motion is to be approved by two third majority of the votes of total membership of the council through a secret ballot to be conducted by Returning Officer, nominated by the Chief Election Commissioner, the district nazim shall cease to hold office. However, sub-section-6 of section 24 reads that “where the motion fails in the district council the proposer and seconder of such motion shall lose their seats.