NAWABSHAH, Sept 2: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has called upon nazims and councillors to vote for candidates who have access to the chief minister house and may not face funds problems.

He was addressing a gathering of elected nazims, naib nazims and councillors of pro-government panels at the circuit house here on Friday.

He said the opposition had claimed that general elections would be held in 2005 but now they were out of arena.

He said the rivals were trying to be clever as first they hit and then cry by using the term “pre-poll rigging”.

He said the government completed the local body elections in a peaceful and transparent manner but some district returning officers were announcing one candidate successful one day and another the following day.

He said nazims were under the Sindh government and he would keep an eye on them.

Talking to reporters at a news conference at the circuit house, the chief minister announced Khan Mohammad Dahri, former district president of the PML Nawabshah as candidate for district nazim post and said names of candidates for taluka Nazims would be announced later by the local leadership.

He said that we had divided districts in “soft”, “moderate” and “tough” categories and Nawabshah was tough where we have 51 per cent majority.

He said in soft districts we had overwhelming majority and tough contest was expected in Nawabshah.

He said he had so far not decided about names of district and taluka naib nazims of Sindh and they would be announced after elections of district nazims.

The chief minister said the government was planning to put a ban on teachers unions as they were destroying educational atmosphere.

He said strict action would be taken against corrupt irrigation officials soon.

Advisers to Sindh chief ministers Ghulam Rasool Unnar, M.A. Jalil, Sallahuddin Hyder, Mushtaq Raho, Abdul Rauf, CM’s special assistant Khan Mohammad Dahri, Ali Asghar Rind and Sher Mohammad Rind were present on the occasion.

KILLED: Khair Mohammad Solangi, 55, was clubbed to death by his son-in-law, Ali Hassan Kaliar, in Rehmatabad village near Bandhi town on Thursday. The killer managed to escape from the spot. An FIR was registered at the Bandhi police station.