UMERKOT: Reaffirming his unfaltering support to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its top leadership, PPP Parliamentarians (PPP-P) chief and spiritual leader of his Sarwari Jamaat Makhdoom Amin Fahim has categorically rejected all reports and rumours about his differences with party chief Asif Ali Zardari.

Mr Fahim was speaking to the media during his visit to Kharoro Charan village, where he inaugurated a library and also addressed a public meeting, on Sunday.

He travelled to the area to offer his condolences to Sindh Minister Syed Ali Mardan Shah on the recent death of his wife.

He complained that a section of the Press misquoted him over on the issue of his latest meeting with former president Pervez Musharraf to blow it out of proportion.

“The media should enjoy the freedom of expression but it must strictly observe objectivity. It should not have attributed to me the words or sentences that I have never uttered,” he said while clarifying his position over the issue.

“There is no rift either within the ranks of the PPP,” he told a questioner, and explained that in his speech in Lahore a few weeks ago, he had just suggested that the party chief should value the workers, opt for reforms and modify the policy.

He said that instead of quoting these suggestions in letter and spirit, a section of the Press created an impression that he (Mr Fahim) differ with the party leadership. He said the media must verify the facts before publicising them.

He argued that it was not for the first time that he met Pervez Mushraf. An earlier meeting with him was held with the consent of the then PPP chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, he said.

Regarding that meeting, he explained that Mr Musharraf was trying to drum up support of political forces for the revival of the Kalabagh dam project and he had already convinced Ajmal Khattak to pave the way for it in the NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), he claimed.

Mr Fahim went on to say that being a trusted lieutenant of Ms Bhutto, he was allowed to present PPP’s stance on the dam project. “I told Mr Musharraf that the people of Sindh will never accept this project and will pose strong resistance if he [Mr Musharraf] tried to impose his idea on them,” he said.

The PPP-P chief said that his family and the Sarwari Jamaat had been maintaining exceptionally close relationship with the Bhutto family much before the PPP came into existence. “How can we even think of leaving the party or part ways with the Bhuttos? he questioned.

In reply to a question regarding calls for the imposition of martial law made recently by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Makhdoom Amin Fahim said that there was no such a situation in any part of the country that could summon military rule.

PPP MNA Nawab Yousuf Talpur and MPA Syed Sardar Shah, besides Syed Ali Mardan Shah, were also present.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2015

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