LARKANA: Expressing his strong reservations over the banking court’s decision to transfer money laundering and fake accounts cases against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership and its associates to Rawalpindi, the party’s Sindh president, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, claimed that it was a conspiracy to weaken the party.

He was speaking to the participants of a condolence reference held for senior PPP leader and former provincial law minister Ayaz Soomro at Arts Council here on Tuesday.

Alleging that PPP was being targeted, Mr Khuhro asked party workers to get ready to wage a struggle. “Selected accountability has been initiated by the selected prime minister which is only aimed at maligning opposition,” he said.

Mr Khuhro said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari received NAB (National Accounta­bility Bureau) notices after he talked about removal of three federal ministers for their alleged links with proscribed outfits. “Once again Rawalpindi had been chosen to victimise Bhuttos,” he remarked, and said that PPP could not be weakened or frightened with jails.

“PPP will neither bow before the constantly moun­ting pressure on it to compromise on the 18th Consti­tutional Amendment, nor will it deviate from its principled stand on it. We [PPP] are determined to defend the amendment on all fronts,” he said.

The struggle for supremacy of Constitution and parliament under the leadership of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would continue, he said.

“We reject unilateral accountability,” said Mr Khuhro, stressing the need for putting a ‘review committee’ in the parliament comprising all parliamentary parties to ensure transparent accountability.

“PPP workers should get prepared to wage a struggle ... we will demonstrate power of people on April 4 in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, where we will assemble to observe the 40th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,” Mr Khuhro said.

Turning to those talking about a change of government in Sindh, he, without naming anyone, said that “the B-team of [former military ruler] General Musha­rraf, presently sitting in the federal cabinet, should better think of saving their own government at the Centre”.

He said PPP enjoyed majority in the Sindh Asse­mbly but the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf) government at the Centre was surviving on the crutches of marginal strength of seven seats. He warned that people of Sindh would foil any unconstitutional attempt to change the provincial government. If the Sindh government was unconstitutionally sent packing, the federal government would not survive for much longer, he added.

Mr Khuhro repeated the allegation that the Centre had “robbed” Sindh of its rights under the NFC (National Finance Comm­ission) Award and 1991 Water Accord, thus creating a sense of deprivation in Sindh. He said Sindh would continue to forcefully raise its voice in the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for its rights.

Earlier, Mr Khuhro, MNA Khursheed Junejo, Abdul Fatah Bhutto, Dr Sakina Gaad, Mazhar Junejo and other PPP leaders paid homage to Ayaz Soomro and lauded his services to the masses and democracy. They said Mr Soomro remained loyal to and stood steadfast with the PPP through thick and thin as a committed worker.

CM shrugs off threat to his govt

UMERKOT: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that a PTI MNA was lately quoted as saying that “they [PTI] had the tools to change the government in Sindh”, to which Mr Shah reacted by saying that “they should stop daydreaming”.

He was speaking to repor­ters in Umerkot, where had come to offer his condolences to PPP MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro and municipal committee chairman Kha­lid Siraj Soomro on the death of their mother.

Murtaza Wahab, Imtiaz Shaikh, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Syed Sardar Shah, Gul Mohammad Jakhrani, Saleem Jalbani, Pir Aftab Jillani, Ghulam Qadir Cha­n­dio and other senior PPP leaders accompanied the CM.

Mr Shah argued that they would need a minimum of 50 MPAs to change the government but did not have a single one to start with. He warned them against opting for any unconstitutional mea­sure to satisfy their urge.

The CM repeated his party’s stance that it did not oppose accountability but it must be impartial.

“Unfor­tu­nately, we [PPP] are being targeted and our leadership is being harassed,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2019