BADIN: After announcing his intention to form his own faction of the Pakistan Peoples Party a day earlier, former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfikar Ali Mirza on Sunday won the support of former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, even though he fell short of joining the proposed faction.

Dr Mirza was warmly welcomed when he arrived at Arbab Faiz House, near Kaloi town of Tharparkar, to meet Dr Arbab and invited him to join his PPP faction, which is yet to be named. Fomer MNA Arbab Zakaullah, Arbab Anwer, Arbab Lutfullah and other notables of the Arbab family and group were present at the meeting.

After the meeting, Dr Arbab Rahim, who heads his Pakistan Muslim League-Like-minded group, and Dr Mirza spoke to the media and announced that they had decided to shun their differences and forget the bitter past in the greater interest of the people of Sindh and country. “We have also decided to contest the upcoming local government elections together in Badin, Tharparkar and some other districts,” they said.

The two leaders condemned the current leadership of the PPP for “bad governance both at the centre and in Sindh” and “victimising its political rivals”.

Dr Mirza referred to an incident where Dr Arbab was manhandled by some PPP activists in the Sindh Assembly corridors on April 5, 2008, and said he was not part of the PPP leaders who encouraged the unruly activists.

He said several prominent political figures would be joining his party very soon. In reply to a question, Dr Mirza rejected reports that former MQM MNA Nabeel Gabol was the co-founder of the party. He said his party had nothing to do with Mr Gabol.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2015

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