BADIN: Former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfikar Ali Mirza has hinted at contesting polls in next general election against Mir Munawwar Ali Talpur, husband of MNA Faryal Talpur, who is the sister of former president Asif Ali Zardari.

“I am ready to run for assembly seats from Mirpurkhas, Lyari (Karachi) and other areas over the insistence of my supporters,” said Dr Mirza in speeches and talks to the media during his visit to different villages near Tando Bago, Pangrio and Jhudo towns on Wednesday and Thursday.

He said that despite serious threats to his life he was determined to rid people of Sindh of the corrupt coterie ruling the province for the past 10 years. His political enemies should get themselves ready for the punishment they would soon receive for the misdeeds and the massive corruption they had committed over the years, he warned.

He said that Mr Zardari and his ‘cronies’ had no place in future politics since all the ‘leaders’ involved in loot and plunder of national resources would be sent behind bars and would not be allowed to flee the country.

“The end of corrupt and incompetent politicians is well nigh,” he said and added that all those planning to rig general election with the help of returning officers were living in a fool’s paradise.

He said that several genuine and sincere devotees of slain Bhuttos who were sitting in the parliament might part ways with PPP after the announcement of caretaker setup.

Dr Mirza believed that all the ‘cronies’ of Mr Zardari would suffer humiliating defeat and Grand Democratic Alliance would form government in Sindh because people had got fed up with the incompetent rulers and stories of their massive corruption.

He deplored that residents of Badin district were not getting water even for drinking purposes while people living in tail-end areas of canals were forced to consume highly contaminated water.

He asked people to reject those who had deprived them of their due share in water and denied them their basic rights.

“The entire civic infrastructure in the district has been in a shambles for the past many years,” he said and vowed to fight for the people of Badin, rest of the province and Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2018