April 17, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 10, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 16: Former chief minister of Sindh Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Wednesday accused Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza of plotting his assassination.

“I have credible reports that services of assassins have been hired by the Sindh home minister and payment has been made to them in American dollars,” he said at a news conference at the PML house here.

The allegation was immediately rejected by Dr Zulfikar Mirza at a news conference in Karachi. He said the former chief minister had lost “his mental balance”.The home minister said he would register an FIR against Dr Arbab if he failed to prove the allegation.

Dr Arbab, who was manhandled on the Sindh Assembly premises on April 7, had forgiven the man who had hit him with a shoe.

The former CM said he had communicated his fear to the authorities concerned but did not elaborate who the authorities were.

Dr Arbab, who is also PML-Q’s Sindh president, said he had written to the authorities that an FIR should be registered against PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Zulfikar Mirza if he, his party workers or any member of his family were targeted by the hired assassins.

He said he had engaged Advocate Ahmed Raza Kasuri for contesting his case in court.

When asked if he had contacted Mr Zardari to convey his fears, Dr Arbab said: “When no government official had contacted me following my humiliation in the Sindh assembly, why should I call them.”

He alleged that a widespread political victimisation had started against leaders and workers of his party after the PPP took over power in Sindh and so far more than 2000 cases had been registered.