KARACHI, Aug 15: The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, has said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is working to resolve all the issues facing the masses and will strive jointly with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to attain provincial autonomy.

Lauding role of the journalist fraternity in the struggle for the freedom of the press, restoration of democracy and supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law in the country, he said that the journalists along with other democratic forces had also faced persecution.

The chief minister was talking as chief guest at a function held at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday to mark the Independence Day.

Mr Shah said that as had been promised by the co-chairman of the PPP, Asif Ali Zardari, with the issuance of an NOC from its previous owner the hurdle in the transfer and mutation of the KPC building to the press club had been removed.

The building, which houses the press club, was presented as a gift to the KPC by the MQM’s minister for local government, Dr Farooq Sattar, on behalf of the defunct Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on the occasion of the golden jubilee of Pakistan in 1997 in lieu of its rest house located on Queens Road to the owner of the KPC building, Haji Zakaria.

However, the building could not be registered in the name of the KPC as the owner had attached a condition for issuing an NOC until he was given possession of the building given in lieu of the KPC premises, which was in the use of the anti-terrorists courts.

The chief minister, on the occasion, also announced a grant of Rs5 million for the KPC and distributed challans of plots allotted to the KPC employees and possession certificates to the journalists.

He also assured the remaining members of the KPC that plots would be arranged for them very soon. He said that it was not a special favour but a step towards the implementation of the PPP’s manifesto which envisaged the provision of Roti, Kapra and Makaan to each and every citizen of Pakistan.

The convener of the MQM coordination committee, Dr Farooq Sattar, said that the PPP and the Muttahida would continue working for the betterment of the people of Sindh and Pakistan to make the country a welfare state.Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani said that he would see that plots given to the journalists be developed without any further delay and the remaining members of the KPC should also get plots. On the occasion, KPC shields were also presented to the guests.