HYDERABAD: The Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) has claimed that former home minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza spoke to its chief Ayaz Latif Palijo over the phone from London and proposed a joint struggle against terrorism and corruption in Sindh.

According to a QAT press release issued on Tuesday, Dr Mirza told Mr Palijo that they shared common views on terrorism and corruption as well as on protecting resources of the country. Dr Mirza observed that the QAT was the only party that was raising its voice against terrorism, extremism and corruption, the release said.

Mr Palijo agreed that a joint struggle would have to be launched against corruption and terrorism to save Sindh and Pakistan. “He told Dr Mirza that political parties would have to play their role in bringing culprits of the Boulten Market, Baldia factory fire, Abbas Town, May 12 and 22, April 9, Ashura and Shikarpur tragedies to justice,” the QAT release said.

Mr Palijo said that a joint strategy involving political parties would be devised against corruption and terrorism, it added.

BADIN: Dr Zulfikar Mirza, speaking to his supporters here from London over the phone on Tuesday, said he would be returning home in a few days to launch a vigorous campaign against the Sindh government, which he alleged comprised corrupt, lethargic and inept elements.”

Loyalists of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto should get ready for a decisive movement against all such elements within the Sindh government and the Pakistan Peoples Party which are being run by Asif Ali Zardari’s business partners,” he said.

Shrugging off the actions being taken by the party against him and his supporters, Dr Mirza said he and his family had endured tyranny during the military rules of General Ziaul Haq and General Pervez Musharraf along with PPP leaders and activists and remained undeterred. He encouraged the ‘loyalists’ to remain steadfast despite all odds. “I am ready to face some light music from the PPP high command,” he remarked, and said he had pretty good idea about their (Mr Zardari and his associates) strength and weight and knew how to face them.

“They have started harassing and victimising my supporters but this cannot deviate me and my supporters from the path I have chosen by sacrificing my 45-year freindship with Mr Zardari,” he said.

Rejecting rumours about his intention to meet PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, he said neither he intended nor made any attempt to meet him. “Such a meeting is very likely to cause trouble to my nephew [Mr Bilawal], his father and many others,” he argued.

He also cast doubts about veracity of tweets attributed to Mr Bilawal and critical of his outburst against the PPP leadership, and said hackers were there to manipulate the sensitive issue.

“Bilawal is not an ordinary young guy... he can differentiate between the party of his slain mother or that of his father,” Dr Mirza said and named MNA Faryal Talpur being among Mr Zardari’s associates running the party affairs.

Dr Mirza insisted that there was a great dead of indignation among PPP workers and supporters, and repeated his earlier decision that he and Mr Zardari could not go together any more. He alleged that many people drawing salaries from the ‘Zardari enterprises’ had been asked to hold press conferences to malign him [Dr Mirza] and the newly-posted Badin SSP was tasked with terrorising his supporters.

Dr Mirza also condemned pro-Zardari people for tearing off banners and posters of Z.A. Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto because they also contained his [Dr Mirza’s] picture recently in Badin district, and asked his supporters to continue to mobilise people in Sindh despite all odds.

Ruling out any rapprochement with Mr Zardari, he declared that he had burnt all his boats to reach the point of no return. “Mr Zardari and MQM chief Altaf Hussain are partners in crimes,” he said and termed this the prime reason for his differences with Mr Zardari.

Published in Dawn February 25th , 2015

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