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KARACHI: The Pakistan People’s Party-led government was attacked “for its lack of foresight and somersaults on the local government system in the province” with strong criticism coming from the Sindh nationalist parties and a confusing response from a coalition party.
Confusing signals emerged from the Awami National Party camp. While its Sindh chapter chief, Shahi Syed, welcomed the decision of the government to re-introduce the 2001 Local Government Ordinance in the entire province, saying that it saved the province from an ethnic divide, in another media statement he was quoted as saying that until the establishment of the commissioner system his party would continue to support the “Sindhi brothers”.
The ANP provincial chief said that earlier the revival of the ordinance only in Karachi and Hyderabad had created a negative impression. He termed it a deep-rooted conspiracy to divide the province on ethnic lines.
Mr Syed said the Sindhi nationalists had rightly protested against the government’s decision and the ANP fully supported their stance and joined them in the protest.
He praised the political sagacity of President Asif Ali Zardari who directed the provincial authorities to introduce the system in the whole province. He said the new ordinance was imposed in a hurry without considering its far-reaching political implications.
The ANP urged the PPP leadership to take all coalition partners on board while taking such vital decisions pertaining to the greater interest of the province.
He was quoted as saying that the people should not be used as fodder in the struggle for power between different political parties.
The Sindh National Party maintained that the outdated system (local government) of “dictator Musharraf” was not acceptable.
It said that it was beyond its comprehension that in three provinces the commissioner system was in place while in Sindh the LG system was being enforced allegedly at the behest of terrorists and ethnic groups.
SNP chief Ameer Bhambro asked the PPP if the dictator’s system was so good, why had the government fooled the people earlier by replacing it with the commissioner system and passing bills in the Sindh Assembly.
President of the Jeay Sindh Tehrik Dr Safdar Sarki and others in a statement on Monday said the overwhelming support of the 60 million people of the province against the government’s decision on the local government issue had sent a strong message to the rulers that steps aimed at hurting the unity and territorial integrity of the province would not be acceptable.
The JST had given a strike call soon after the PPP-led government had agreed to roll back the implementation of the ordinance on the commissioner system in Hyderabad and Karachi to meet the MQM’s demand in an attempt to bring it back in the fold of the ruling coalition.
Thanking Mumtaz Bhutto, Jalal Mahmood Shah, Ayaz Lateef Palejo and others, he said the strike was the beginning of a struggle for the unity and rights of the people of Sindh.
