DADU: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has dismissed reports of the existence of a forward bloc in the Pakistan Peoples Party and said all party legislators are united under the leadership of co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

PPP legislators wholeheartedly abided by the party policy and the leadership’s directives and pursued an agenda of “selfless service” following in the footsteps of their slain leader Benazir Bhutto, he said.

The chief minister was talking to journalists after meeting notables, village heads and party activists at the residence of a local party leader Makhdoom Zamir Hussain at Bubak village on Saturday.

He said that PPP was a democratic party in which everyone was at liberty to express his opinions in line with democratic traditions of tolerance and respect of differing opinions and criticism.

He rejected possibility of PPP’s electoral alliance with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and said that PTI had no future in Sindh where majority of voters were staunch Bhutto loyalists. The decision on Panama Papers case would bring about far-reaching changes in national political scene, he said.

Explaining his remark on the assembly floor that it might be the last budget session of the Sindh Assembly, he said that he meant to say that the budget would contribute to eradicating unemployment as jobs would be provided to eligible youths on the basis of merit.

About general elections, Mr Shah said that all political parties in Sindh were ready for elections. PPP would recapture all seats of National and Sindh assemblies with majority on the basis of its performance and services for people and form governments in the province and the centre, he said.

He said the problem of water shortage in Karachi and other parts of the province was linked to the larger problem in all parts of the country and the Sindh government was sincerely trying to resolve it at the earliest.

The delay in completion of projects, he said, was caused by the federal government’s failure to release funds to the Sindh government.

He said that it was possible the probe into Panama Papers case might culminate in the disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He said the Sindh government was fighting against terrorists and expressed grief over the killing of police officials in Karachi by terrorists. Steps were being taken to curb terrorist activities and foolproof security arrangements were being made by police in the province on the eve of Eidul Fitr, he added.

The chief minister was accompanied by Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Agha Sohail Pathan, SSP Tanvir Alam Odho, PPP leaders Sardar Sikandar Rahpoto and Rais Amanullah Shahani.

Later, Murad Ali Shah reached his village Wahur in Sehwan taluka where he received complaints from people and directed officials concerned for their redressal. The CM would stay at his native village for three days of Eid.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2017