April 22, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1429

THATTA, April 21: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said his government has reservations over local body system, which has yielded nothing but strengthened feudal structure in the province after devolution of powers.

Talking to journalists in Makli before attending the 33rd death anniversary of Syed Zainul Abdin Shah Jilani late on Sunday night Mr Shah said that the system held the public and private sector hostage and diminished the importance of district administration, making the nazim more powerful like an autocrat.

The Pakistan People’s Party government would work out various options to streamline governance at gross root level, he said. Thousands of PPP activists had been implicated in fake FIRs in Thatta district following the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto, he said.

Majority of activists had been implicated in cases at the instigation of the party’s rival group. Therefore, he had now directed the authorities to scrutinise such cases and restore justice, he said.

The chief minister said that Keti Bunder Mini Port-cum-Fish Harbour was on top of the new government’s priority list and he had recently held detailed deliberations with Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani on the issue. The project, which included a power producing plant would bring prosperity to the area, he said.

He said in response to a question about the party’s reconciliation efforts with Muttahida Qaumi Movement that they responded in a positive manner when the MQM delegation arrived to express its concern on firing at Bilawal House.

He said that their attitude had reopened avenues for further dialogue and encouraged efforts to address the situation politically. The possibility to give MQM ministries in Sindh government could not be ruled out and in return the MQM had promised to help redress Sindh’s problems, he said.

Earlier, PPP leaders Arbab Wazir Memon, Abdul Jalil Memon, Aijaz Khwaja, Altaf Khwaja and Imtiaz Qureshi with hundreds of party activists accorded warm welcome to the chief minister at Makli.