SUKKUR: Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair on Monday said that his party leader Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification could not affect the mandate given to him by the masses. He said the judiciary and public mandate should equally be respected. “People like Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and its leadership and will renew the mandate in the next general elections,” he said.

The governor expressed these views while speaking at a ceremony held in Jacobabad to distribute health cards among deserving people as was promised during Mr Sharif’s address at a PML-N public meeting in the city in May this year. Mr Zubair also spoke to reporters after the ceremony.

A total of 120,480 people belonging to Jacobabad will get the health card to receive free of cost medical facilities.

The governor observed that moves against the PML-N government and its leadership were part of a conspiracy against progress of the country in the development sector. He noted that investors from other parts of the country and abroad were coming to Karachi after complete peace was restored to the city during the current PML-N tenure. Ultimately, he added, the country started making progress. Resumption of industrial and development activities generated job opportunities and helped curtail unemployment, he added.

He expressed his confidence that the apex court’s [disqualification] verdict would be overruled by the masses if the 2018 general elections were held in a free, fair and transparent manner.

Musharraf’s allegation

Governor Zubair did not agree with former president Gen Pervez Musharraf’s allegation that his successor, Asif Ali Zardari, was responsible for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Responding to a questioner, he observed that the two former presidents had been trading various allegations in the past with regard to the assassination and its investigation. However, he added, Gen Musharraf’s fresh allegation did not have credibility. “He [Musharraf] has released a video recording of his allegation while sitting in an airconditioned room and the content lacked any proof or evidence. Even if he does have any, he should return to the country and produce the same,” said the governor.

The governor described Benazir Bhutto as a leader of the masses whose admirers could be found everywhere in the world. Her killers’ having been at large was as tragic as was her assassination, he said.

‘Minus-one formula’

Governor Sindh further said that the ‘minus-one formula’ was conceived in the late 70s and its first victim was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Regarding criticism of Maryam Nawaz from certain political quarters, he said if people liked her, she would become a popular leader.

He observed that it was until the 2013 general elections that the country kept experiencing acts of terrorism quite frequently but after Mr Sharif came to power, a gradual decline was registered and new complete peace prevailed in most parts of the country. He said the country was also showing a fast economic growth but Mr Sharif was removed as prime minister under a conspiracy.

He said the PML-N government did not believe in discrimination on political grounds, and pointed out that the federal government was extending every possible assistance to Sindh in its development projects although the province was under the rule of PPPOther PML-N leaders Shah Mohammad Shah, Aslam Abro, Akram Abro, Asad Junejo, Sardar Sajjad Buledi, Mir Asghar Khan Panhwar, Chaudhry Aslam and Ghulam Mustafa Rajpar also spoke.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2017