LARKANA, Jan 2: Opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has said that the proceedings in the assemblies during the vote of confidence have exposed the hollow claims of a strong government.

Talking to this correspondent here on Friday, he said that even the prime minister had admitted that the turnout was lesser than that what they had expected. He said that the episode had tarnished the image of the assemblies and the way in which the votes were secured had patronized lotacracy.

He said that the Pakistan Muslim League-N and the PPP saw more turncoats at this juncture but the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal also stood exposed when some of its legislators supported the move.

"I condemn two PPP legislators for going against party decision but it is the establishment which should be condemned for playing dirty tricks in this regard," Mr Khuhro said.

He said that Sindh Revenue Minister Altaf Unnar had admitted that it was neither his nor the chief minister's efforts which had prompted Sohrab Sarki and Bano Saghir to switch sides but the two were handed over to the Sindh government by the "hidden hands".

Responding to a question, he said that the government was defeated in Balochistan and the NWFP and that had increased the polarization. He said that the PPP and other liberal forces opposed the vote of confidence and its supporters would be called the traitors of the Constitution.

Mr Khuhro said that it again had led the nation to think that a guarantee by the establishment on any matter could not be accepted as it threw the Constitution into dustbin every now and then.

He said that Sindh believed that the government would never provide it with its rights on water and resource distribution. He said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf could not be relied on as he could easily trample over the Constitution.

The PPP leader vowed to continue the struggle against what he called the tyrannical attitudes to safeguard the Constitution and to restore a democratic rule free from the grip of the army.

When his attention was drawn to the statement of Qazi Hussain Ahmed that President Musharraf, even after seeking vote of confidence, was not the constitutional president, he said that the MMA should stop deceiving the people as their game had been exposed after it voted for the amendments to the Constitution.

Commenting on law and order situation in Sindh, he said that one had to search for words to condemn the worsening law and order situation. Heinous crimes remained unchecked, blatant murders went unnoticed and the people were unsafe even in their houses while the administration was busy in making money, he said. The police order was yet to be understood by the NRB chairman himself and the district Nazims were helpless before the police, he concluded.