KARACHI, March 8: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said that the parties which stayed away from the government-sponsored all-parties conference on provincial autonomy have, in fact, missed the train.

Talking to journalists at the Mazar-i-Quaid on Thursday, he said the objective of the APC was to ascertain suggestions from the participating political parties on this extremely important national issue and incorporate the same in the recommendations being compiled by the federal government.

In reply to a question, he said 100 per cent participation in the APC could not be attained, arguing that the APC convened by Nawaz Sharif also lacked some big names, including Ms Benazir Bhutto.

About women’s rights, the chief minister pointed out that President Pervez Musharraf and the government had being doing more than enough in this regard.

Dr Arbab also stressed the need for enforcing Islamic laws to protect womenfolk and their rights, saying all of us should comply with Islamic laws.

Minister for Women Development Dr Saeeda Malik and MPAs Sajila Leghari and Afshan Imran were among others present on the occasion.