HYDERABAD, Aug 23: The Sindh Democratic Forum (SDF) on Thursday lashed out at a statement given by People’s Party Parliamentarians’ chairperson, Ms Benazir Bhutto, to a US media network that the party would facilitate Gen Musharraf’s re-election as president in uniform.

“What compounded Sindhis’ disappointment was the news that in return Benazir Bhutto is only interested in the government dropping cases against her and letting her become prime minister for the third time,” said the forum in a statement mailed to Dawn.

But Sindhis should not be sold so cheap for such selfish motives, the SDF said and warned the PPP that it should not take Sindhis for granted. The general’s re-election with PPP’s help would be the last straw that would break the bond between Sindhis and the party, the forum remarked.

The forum noted with great concern that the party was even prepared to share power with Pakistan Muslim League-Q and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and take turncoats and lotas back into the party in order to rope in “winning horses” at the cost of democratic norms and values, the statement said.

The forum regretted that majority of Sindhis had always voted for PPP but in return they had received precious little even when they desperately needed the party’s help.

The party was nowhere to be seen in the areas devastated by rains and floods, which rendered thousands of people homeless in Balochistan and northern Sindh, hundreds died and livelihood and resources of hundreds and thousands others were destroyed permanently, it said.

Instead of helping their voters, most of the party legislators and stalwarts were busy fishing for party tickets in London for the upcoming general elections, the forum alleged. The party did not raise any voice when MQM had surreptitiously, illegally and unconstitutionally got all the government jobs allocated for its nominees, who shared the same language with them, it claimed.

The party kept silence on the blatant injustice when DOW Medical University disallowed admission to students whose fathers were not domiciled in Karachi.

Ms Benazir’s acceptance of Gen Musharraf as president in uniform and military’s control over foreign and defence policies implied that the federal government's hegemony over the natural resources of Sindh, inequitable NFC award, problem of water shortage and dominance of MQM over the province would continue uninterrupted, the forum feared.