HYDERABAD, May 3 Sindh Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed has said that the briefing given by the capital city police officer (CCPO) of Karachi and the provincial police officer (PPO) to the prime minister was part of a conspiracy to destabilise democratic process in Sindh.

Talking to journalists at a wedding reception here on Saturday, Mr Ahmed who is also a member of coordination committee of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement said that President Asif Ali Zardari and MQM chief Altaf Hussain had reached a political arrangement in Sindh to ensure that PPP-MQM got along.

He said that if Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza had given his statement in his capacity as a leader of Pakistan People's Party then the MQM would also come up with its viewpoint.

He expressed the hope that President Zardari would play his role which he always did, and said the way the prime minister intervened in the matter indicated that he would also come up with a positive response.

About Dr Mirza's statement in support of the CCPO and the PPO, he said that Shazia Mari and Dr Mirza had given personal opinion.

“We want to give them benefit of doubt to analyse the situation seriously and if it is an official party line then it is entirely different and the MQM will also give its response,” he said.

He said that the prime minister had spoken to Altaf Hussain and thing took time in democratic process. “The MQM is not an immature organisation. We did express reservations behind closed door meetings before the prime minister and chief minister,” he said.

He said that even the city district nazim had been writing to the CCPO and the PPO since October about occupation of city government's land but to no avail.

Mr Ahmed said that had the two officials been serious in de-weaponising the city then they would have thrown some light on factors behind Lyari situation. “It is not fair that the MQM is bracketed with ethnic strife,” he said.

He said that the PPO did not refer to the people apprehended in Khawaja Ajmeri Nagri and recovery of explosives and arms from an office.

He said that he did not refer to Zarina Colony incident where Rangers arrested the accused, carrying flags of a political party after they killed two MQM workers.

“Being responsible police officers they were supposed to disclose facts and figures but they were trying to misguide the prime minister and the chief minister,” he argued.

“Everyone knows about the forces which are patronising extremists, land grabbers and are part of the underworld. But they are being presented as political leaders,” he said. He said that when death of two MQM workers did not serve their purpose they spread violence in the city and then started giving it ethnic colour.

“Among different plans being worked out one is to dispossess people of their licensed weapons while the areas of Al-Asif Square, Sohrab Goth, Baldia, Banaras Chowk, Site etc where there were huge catches of illicit weapons were not even being discussed,” he said.

He said that MQM would support de-weaponisation because no patriotic organisation would back dumping of illicit weapons but people should not be deprived of their licensed weapons.

“President Zardari and Altaf Hussain have shown great political wisdom and they want to see MQM-PPP alliance getting along. But it seems that the message is not being conveyed to grass-root level,” he said.

He said that during first tenure of Nawaz Sharif government a list of 72 big fishes had been prepared but then people saw MQM workers being targeted on roads and killed in extrajudicial encounters. “We feel that again similar proposals are being put forward by bureaucrats,” he said.

He said that the MQM had tried to prevail upon its ally that the bureaucrats were misguiding it. “Why no one is talking about Rehman Dakait today? So there is need to analyse each and everything with a holistic approach,” he said.