Move to unite Muslim League factions on Sindh issues

Published November 25, 2014
FORMER chief minister of Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim speaks at a press conference at his Karachi residence on Monday. Former chief ministers Syed Ghaus Ali Shah and Liaquat Ali Khan Jatoi, former speaker of the National Assembly IIlahi Bukhsh Soomro and leader of the Muslim League-Functional Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi are also present.—Online
FORMER chief minister of Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim speaks at a press conference at his Karachi residence on Monday. Former chief ministers Syed Ghaus Ali Shah and Liaquat Ali Khan Jatoi, former speaker of the National Assembly IIlahi Bukhsh Soomro and leader of the Muslim League-Functional Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi are also present.—Online

KARACHI: In a bid to resurrect the Pakistan Muslim League in Sindh, eminent politicians with PML background met at the Defence residence of Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Monday to figure out how to reactivate all the old guard, who have distanced themselves from active politics after getting disappointed by the PML-Nawaz leadership, on basic issues of Sindh.

Ex-chief ministers Syed Ghaus Ali Shah, Liaquat Ali Khan Jatoi, Dr Rahim and former national assembly speaker Illahi Bukhsh Soomro, Sindh PML-F chief Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi, PML-F spokesman Kamran Tessori and others attended the meeting.

They called it the continuation of their meeting last month that was held at the residence of Sindh PML-F president Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi aka Yunus Sain, who is also a federal minister in the Nawaz cabinet.

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Briefing the media about the Monday discussion, Dr Rahim said they gathered at one place as they all shared concerns about the anarchy-like situation obtaining in Sindh for want of governance and due to plunder of its resources. He said they had initial discussion to formulate a strategy to activate all Muslim Leaguers on one platform, at least on issues being faced by the people of Sindh. At a later stage, they could also seek cooperation from like-minded parties such as the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in this connection, he added.

When his attention was drawn towards the MQM demand of carving out more provinces in Sindh and other parts of the country, the former chief minister said they could hold talks with the party to convince them that other pressing issues could not be put on the back burner just because they had disagreement over the issue of administrative divisions.

Asked about out-of-turn promotions against the apex court ruling, Dr Rahim said the PPP government had never implemented court verdicts and this was one of the reasons that province was being pushed towards anarchy.

About increasing cases of armed robberies in Sindh, he alleged that bandits had support of the ruling party and these very issues were the cause of concern for all the politicians who gathered there to discuss them.

Painting a bleak picture of the agriculture, education, health and security situation, Mr Jatoi said: “We all are concerned over the deteriorating law and order situation and working on a strategy to rid the province of further loot, plunder and devastation in every walk of life due to corruption, kidnapping, targeted killing and land grabbing.”

He said people in the interior of Sindh were silent about the law and order situation because of fear of being falsely implicated in baseless cases.

Mr Jatoi asked why there was no visible change if Rs900 billion had been utilised on various development projects in Sindh during the past seven years. He also questioned the use of Rs40 billion Larkana package. According to reports, he said, Rs70 billion was misappropriated only in four departments with a total budget of Rs213 billion. He said the gap between the poor and the rich had been increasing for the past seven years.

According to Mr Jatoi, 8,500 schools in Larkana and 7,500 schools in Dadu were still non-functional.

He said the government had not so far announced the support prices of rice, cotton and wheat, causing unrest among farmers. The people earning between Rs7,000 and Rs8,000 a month could not even afford meal twice a day, while many others in the interior of Sindh suffering from abject poverty had come up with no other option but to sell their children, he said.

Mr Jatoi said the election tribunal in the case of a Sindh Assembly seat had accepted rigging in the elections and declared him winner, while the tribunal did not find rigging in the election for the National Assembly seat. He said that election tribunal decisions were also illegal and would be declared null and void.

He was of the opinion that if rigging was proved, the guilty should be punished.

In reply to a question, Mr Rashdi said the PML-F as per its tradition believed in serving the masses and this was the reason that they were part of the central government so that they could contribute whatever was possible towards the betterment of the province and the country. He said unity of all Muslim Leaguers was the need of the hour.

Syed Ghous Ali Shah said that the Muslim Leaguers were disappointed with the PML-N, as they did not consider the PML-Nawaz the Muslim League that created Pakistan. Instead of taking a stand for the party candidates against rigging in the elections, the PML-N leadership joined hands with the PPP, he said. It was for this reason that the people in Punjab were staging protests and people in Sindh had moved courts and tribunals to get justice against the rigging, he said.

In reply to a question, he said that PML leader Zulfiqar Ali Khosa was in touch with him. “But at present we are trying to activate and unite all the PML old guard on one platform,” he said.

PML-F spokesman Kama­ran Tessori, in reply to a que­stion, said that Mumtaz Bhu­tto could not make it to the meeting as he was out of the country, while Syed Muzz­afar Hussain Shah, another ex-chief minister belonging to the PML-F was represe­nted by his party leadership.

Published in Dawn, November 25th , 2014

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