DADU: Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi on Friday claimed that 20 MPAs belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had already decided to part ways with the party making it easy for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to bring about a change in the government.

Speaking at a press conference in Bhan Syedabad, the home town of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Mr Naqvi said that the 20 MPAs would now decide whether to join the PTI or support it by forming a forward bloc.

He, however, rejected speculations that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Gho­tki, scheduled for March 30, had anything to do with the “crumbling” government of Sindh.

In the context of his view that Mr Shah’s government was losing majority support in the assembly, the PTI leader claimed that while 20 of its MPAs were in contact with the PTI, “most others, say 40, will soon stand disqualified or go behind bars as they, along with the top PPP leadership, are involved in mega corruption cases.

“They will be nowhere if their supremo, Asif Ali Zardari, is convicted,” he remarked.

He hinted that the nation would hear “good news” within the next three to four months.

Referring to the allegations that the PPP leadership siphoned off billions of rupees from the national and provincial exchequers over the last decade, Mr Naqvi noted that a huge chunk of the public money went to the Omni Group through illegal means. “These corrupt people are more dangerous and cruel than the MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement) founder Altaf Hussain, he added.

Without naming PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the PTI leader regretted that the PPP leadership resorted to toeing [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi’s line without any reason on the question of banned outfits. Rejecting Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s allegation about takeover of banned outfits’ workplaces by the government, Mr Naqvi retorted that the PPP leadership never intended to enforce the National Action Plan (NAP).

He, however, appreciated Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for doing his best to protect his father like a good son. “But he is actually not in a position to succeed,” he added.

Regarding the treasury-opposition ben­ches’ dispute over composition and chair­man­ship of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the Sindh Assembly, Mr Naqvi said that the ruling party nominated those whose character is tainted with corruption charges. “It [PPP] still plans to continue with its looting spree,” he alleged.

Earlier in the day, the opposition leader visited Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine and parts of Sehwan city.

Speaking to the media, Mr Naqvi said he felt that accountability of corrupt elements would get harsher in the days to come.

“Their hue and cry may not get them any relief,” he added.

In reply to a question, he said PPP was no more a party of Bhuttos. “It’s a fake PPP,” he said.

Commenting on the state of the Manchhar Lake, Mr Naqvi observed that pollution had destroyed it and resultantly hundreds of families depending on its water were exposed to serious health hazards.

He held former chief ministers and their cabinet members responsible for the situation.

Former CMs Syed Abdullah Shah and Syed Qaim Ali Shah, as well as the incumbent one, Syed Murad Ali Shah did not pay any attention to the lake and not even Sehwan Sharif, which happened to be a very important town because it housed the shrine of great Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The indifference on the part of the incumbent CM and his father was all the more painful as it was their ancestral area, he added.

He said that by leaving the Manchhar and Keenjhar lakes to deteriorate, the “inept” PPP leaders actually devastated the lifeline of millions of people benefiting from them.

Also, he observed, no remarkable develo­p­­ment was visible in Sehwan Sharif though the PPP was ruling over the province for more than a decade now. He pointed out that the city still had a poor infrastructure and its people were still without basic amenities.

Mr Naqvi was accompanied by PTI’s Jamshoro district president Sardar Hakim Ali Noohani in his visit to Sehwan.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2019