KARACHI, Oct 2: The chief minister of Sindh, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, on Tuesday succeeded in bringing Abdul Rehman Rajput, formerly a member of the opposition Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), into the government fold.

Mr Rajput’s colleagues awaited him on the premises of the Sindh Assembly building, having submitted their own resignations from seats in the provincial assembly and having informed journalists that Mr Rajput was expected to arrive at any moment to similarly tender a resignation.

At that very moment, however, the enterprising member of the provincial assembly (MPA) was actually in the office of the Sindh chief minister, preparing to break the news about his change of heart.

Prior to making his decision public, he made unsuccessful attempts to convince other MPAs to “contribute towards strengthening a democratic dispensation by exercising the right to vote in the presidential elections scheduled for October 6.”

Mr Rajput won the Oct 2002 election from PS-45 (Hyderabad-II) and originally belonged to the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan.

At a press conference arranged in the CM’s office, Mr Rajput announced that he had decided to give up politics of agitation that required him to resign. He expressed his intention to vote in favour of General Pervez Musharraf who, he said, had brought economic progress and political stability to the country. “I failed to deliver any service to my city or the people by sitting on the opposition benches,” he stated, “but now all my efforts will be towards betterment.”

At the same press conference, Dr Rahim pointed out that opposition members were resigning when the assembly’s term was about to expire. “If they are so allergic to General Musharraf, why do they not resign from the Senate,” he asked, adding that the opposition had on Tuesday submitted the resignations of MPAs who had not even been present.

Answering a question, the chief minister said that the ruling coalition was confident of receiving 103 votes out of the Sindh Assembly’s 168 members. He expressed the confidence that the ruling coalition’s ranks would be swelled by opposition members who had not resigned and would vote according to the dictates of their conscience on October 6. “If the opposition decided to resign every time, would there be no election for the president?” he asked.

Referring to the government’s plan for maintaining law and order on the day of the presidential election in view of the opposition’s call for a shutter-down strike, Dr Rahim expressed the hope that there would be no untoward incident since the people were not with the opposition parties. Asked whether his government planned to unleash a crackdown against activists of the Pakistan People’s Party on the eve of the arrival of their leader, the chief minister said merely that they would compete with the PPP in the general elections and no one would be prepared to give up their traditional seats. He further said that Ms Bhutto’s popularity had fallen swiftly after her recent statements and she needed no enemy since her own words were sufficient.