September 25, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 24, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 24: Sindh Culture and Tourism Minister Sassui Palejo termed accusation of grabbing or damaging archaeological sites and necropolis in Makli “sheer propaganda” against her and her family and challenged the Shirazi brothers to prove the allegations.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, she said: “We fully support freedom of the media but we also regret that a section of the press, including a Sindhi TV channel, was playing one-sided stories against her and her family on the instigation of her political rivals.”

Ms Palejo said as a minister she got a master plan approved for the Makli necropolis. She was also striving to protect historical sites in Sindh, she said. “No threat or conspiracy could bring me under pressure from taking steps to protect cultural and historical heritage,” she observed.

She belonged to a family that always struggled against dictatorship, she said, adding that even women in her family never lagged behind men while offering sacrifices for a noble cause.

She pointed out that a negative propaganda campaign against her family was initiated when her family raised their voice against Kalabagh Dam. Then the family was accused of securing a contract of the dam and now when measures were being initiated to carry out development work in Makli, false propaganda of grabbing historical graveyard of Makli had been unleashed.

Ms Palejo said that she had defeated the Shirazi brothers in the 2002 elections and then again in the last general election, which was why they had unleashed a negative propaganda campaign against her and her family through the media.

The Shirazi brothers during the previous regime had indulged in firing against PPP workers, she said, adding that even murder attempts were made against her and her father. Besides, she said, she was implicated in cases instituted against her by the former government.