LARKANA, Aug 22: Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, the speaker of the Sindh Assembly, has said that in the past, judiciary condoned unconstitutional steps taken by dictators and weakened democracy.

Addressing a reception in Qafila Serai here on Tuesday evening, he said the Pakistan People’s Party had several choices for the post of prime minister if Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was disqualified by the Supreme Court after Yousuf Raza Gilani. He said that PML(N) chief Nawaz Sharif flew to Saudi Arabia under a deal with Gen Parvez Musharraf whereas President Asif Ali Zardari remained unshaken though he had been imprisoned for 11 years.

He claimed that the PPP leadership had convinced Mr Sharif to participate in the general elections of 2,008 otherwise he was determined to boycott the polls. Demonstrating broadmindedness, he added, the PPP had allowed Pakistan Muslim League-N to form government it Punjab.

Since the day the PPP came into power, opponents started giving the impression that its days were numbered but the party government was about to complete its term, he said.

“We confronted obstacle after obstacle erected by anti-PPP forces but the government survived against all the conspiracies with the unreserved support of allies and people,” Mr Khuhro said.

On the issue of alleged migration of Hindu families from Sindh, he said that they had gone to India to visit their holy places and would return after the pilgrimage.

He said the Hindus could not think of migrating because they loved Sindh and perceived it as their motherland.

However, in an apparent reference to a sense of insecurity prevailing among the Hindu community of upper Sindh, he said that efforts were being made to improve law and order situation in the region,

The speaker said that the government had given India the status of most favoured nation, adding that it was taking measures to improve trade ties with India and wanted visa regime to be softened to promote people-to- people contact.

Aftab Nek Mohammed Bhutto, president, PPP, Larkana city, also spoke on the occasion.