LARKANA, July 12: Sindh National Front Chairman Mumtaz Ali Bhutto said on Saturday that the government’s control over tribal areas had considerably weakened, raising the spectre of a possible capture of the areas by the US forces.

He said in his address at a workers convention in Naudero that the government was nowhere visible in the country. The rulers could not visit Balochistan and the ministers in Sindh could not face public, he said.

He said without naming Asif Ali Zardari said that he along with his two sisters had gone out of the country and no one knew when they planned to return.

He termed the three-month performance of the government as ‘poor and discouraging’, saying that when the rulers could answer to people’s queries they shifted responsibility to previous governments.

Why did PPP keep people in the dark during election campaign when the party leadership knew well about the gravity of the situation, he said. Law and order was on a continuous decline with police having established links with bandits, he added.

He said that police were guarding the outlaws that Zardari had employed for the security of Bhutto House Naudero. The day of judgment was drawing closer for them, he remarked.

Mumtaz said that inflation could be brought under control if the rulers who had sanctioned Rs400 billion for perks and privileges sincerely cut the amount to its half and import flour, oil and other essential commodities. But instead of paying no heed to people’s problems the rulers were planning to induct 65 more ministers in the federal cabinet, he said.

He claimed that Bhuttos were pioneers of politics in Sindh and they had been in politics for 90 years. No one would be allowed to uproot Bhuttos from their land. A handful of opportunists and turncoats were supporting them (outsiders) but majority of people were still supporting Bhuttos, he said.

A leader of PPP’s women wing Ms Asmat Khatoon Soomro announced joining SNF on the occasion.