KARACHI, Nov 9: Sindh’s Chief Minister, Sardar Ali Muhammad Mahar, on Sunday extended his support to Karachi’s Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, over his stand against the meat sellers and said the sanctity of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak called for a reduction in the prices of commodities.
However, if people indulged in profiteering it was the obligation of the authorities to check the increase in prices. The chief minister said this while talking to mediamen informally after an Iftar-dinner thrown by MPA Jam Madad Ali at his residence which was attended by ministers, PML leaders and well-known personalities of the province.
Referring to his visit to various parts of the city earlier in the day, the chief minister said at a few places meat was being sold at Rs130 per kg. When one of the meat dealers offered to sell even at Rs120 per kg, the chief minister advised him to fear Allah in Ramazan and reduce the prices as much as he could.
He dispelled the impression that he remained aloof and did not want to mix with the common people. He said he was an elected representative of the people and could not afford to keep himself away from them.
In response to a question, the chief minister said he was fully satisfied with the performance of the Sindh Assembly which, besides witnessing uproar by opposition members, had discharge its duty of carrying out the necessary legislation work.
He did not agree with a questioner when he claimed that he remained absent from the assembly too often, saying whenever he felt the need he attended its sessions. He said whenever the assembly was in session he made himself available in his assembly chamber, watching the proceedings on the closed circuit television.
Sardar Mahar said the government had requisitioned an assembly session which would continue for 11 additional days in order to complete the minimum requirements under the rules and regulations. About his presence at the Iftar party of Jam Madad Ali, he said he had old ties with the Jam family who also belonged to the PML. As such, his participation at the party was not a novel matter.
Regarding unification of five factions of the PML, he said it augured well for the party and if need be he would himself visit every district to popularize it. The chief minister warned the owners of sugar mills to start crushing sugarcane from Nov 15.
Secretary of the PML Organizing Committee, Shaikh Sirajuddin, said he had talked to the PML Chief, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who was recuperating after a medical problem in Germany. Chaudhry Shujaat was likely to return before Eid, he said.
On his return the party would apply for registration, said Mr Sirajuddin, to remove legal obstacles in the unification of PML. He said as far as he was concerned there existed only one PML, headed by Chaudhry Shujaat and its organizing committee consisted of heads of five PML factions besides SDA chief.
Minister for Population Welfare, Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh, who is a member of the PML Organizing committee, in response to some questions said he was part of the Sindh cabinet and the government was working on the right lines to solve the problems of the people.
He denied that a change was imminent in the provincial leadership, adding that there was a need to change the conditions of the common people for which the cabinet was trying.
When he said that on Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s return from abroad the position of the committee of PML-Q Sindh would become clear, a journalist asked him when would the decisions regarding Sindh be taken inside the province. Imtiaz A. Shaikh said that being chief of the PML party, the decisions would have to be taken in consultation with a number of people by Chaudhry Shujaat.