DADU: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that local bodies’ elections in the province will be held on party basis and well before general election.

Accompanied by Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Sardar Sikandar Rahpoto, Hyderabad Commissioner Abbas Baloch and officers of Dadu district administration, the chief minister told journalists in Ali Hassan Shahani village on Sunday that the province would hold the LG election in such a manner that no contestant or party would have any objections over the process and the arrangements for the polls.

Sindh government had raised objections to census in its current shape as it showed the province’s population less than its actual size and hence it government had used its constitutional right by writing a letter to the federal government asking for holding a joint session of the parliament to discuss Sindh’s issues, he said.

He criticised foreign policy of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government and said that it was a complete failure because it had bad impact on relations with neighboring countries of Iran, Afghanistan and China. Though relations with China were better but PPP wanted to further improve relations with its all-weather iron friend, he said.

Pakistan Democratic Alliance should improve its ties with other opposition parties and reunite them under its banner in order to fight the federal government and rid people of its arrogant attitude, he said.

He said that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had played a major role in the establishment of PDM and organised all parties conference. One again there was greater need to unite all opposition parties for solution peoples’ issues, he said.

He condemned what he saw as social media trial of Agha Siraj Durrani and said that Durrani had been maligned by National Accountability Bureau despite the fact that NAB could not find any charges against him.

About rising levels of pollution in Manchhar Lake, he said that a project was approved by the central government in 2017 for the rehabilitation of the lake but as soon as the PTI came to power, work on the project was abandoned.

Earlier, the chief minister arrived in Sehwan on Saturday evening where a large number of people welcomed him at Shahbaz Airport.

He told journalists at the airport that PDM had been restricted to Punjab province. It had been proved that the PPP was the only real opposition party in the country. No electoral alliance would be able to dent PPP’s popularity in Sindh in any elections, he said.

He warned if polls in Azad Kashmir were rigged, it would have bad impact on Kashmir cause. He and his party were working to rid the country of PTI, he said.

He said that anti-PPP elements were worried over Bilawal Bhutto’s visit of America. His visit was strictly personal but anti-PPP elements had become restless, he said.

He said that shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and other shrines had been closed over fears of Covid spread. If the situation improved within two weeks, the government would reopen all the shrines in Sindh.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2021