HYDERABAD, Jan 5: The central and provincial leadership of the People’s Party Parliamentarians, including MNAs and MPAs, have said that accountability within the party will have to be introduced if it was to be kept an organized party.
Speaking on the occasion of the 75th birth anniversary of the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto at Mehran Ground, Qasimabad here on Sunday, the PPP leaders said that the mistakes, committed during the pre- and post-electoral process must be reviewed.
The function was presided over by Sindh PPP president Nisar Ahmed Khuhro.
The PPP leaders criticized those, who had taken advantage of the suspension of the defection law, saying that they had ditched their voters after receiving votes in the name of the late Z.A. Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.
The speakers contended that the defection law was suspended to facilitate certain members to join the ruling coalition, and they left their party with the result that they were awarded ministries.
Speaker after speaker lashed out at the Chaudhris of Gujrat and the Pakistan Muslim League(Q)-led government for supporting the worst horse-trading in Sindh.
They rejected reports that the PPP was going to strike a deal with the government for the return of Benazir Bhutto or the release of Asif Ali Zardari.
Disputing the government figures of foreign exchange reserves worth nine billion dollars, the PPP leaders said that they were of no value if the poor continued to suffer because of price hike, lawlessness and unemployment.
Vowing to fight for the rights of the people and rejecting all kinds of bargaining over the people’s votes, they said that Benazir Bhutto would return to the country.
They lambasted the government for not fully restoring democracy because the elections for the Senate were not held yet.
They said that there was unrest among the people of Sindh “which could lead to a revolution”.
The speakers also urged the MNAs and MPAs to carefully tackle the issues of the Legal Framework Order, dubious presidential referendum, National Finance Commission, and the most important issue of legality of three years of military government.
Some of the speakers also criticised the appointment of Dr Ishratul Ibad as Sindh governor, saying that he was answerable to “nine zero” alone and not to the federation.
They claimed that Sindhis were being deprived of their right to rule under a conspiracy.
Criticizing the internecine fighting within the Sindh cabinet, Mr Khuhro wondered whether the ministers would leave the people in the lurch because of their war on portfolios.
Those who spoke on the occasion included MNAs Nawab Yousuf Talpur, Naveed Qamar Zaman, Anwar Bhutto, Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Manzoor Wassan and Sher Mohammad Baloch, MPAs Zahid Bhurgari, Dr Sohrab Sarki, Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Nuzhat Pathan, N.D. Khan, Taj Hyder, Maula Bux Chandio and the district and divisional presidents of the PPP.