HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peo­ples Party (PPP) information sec­re­tary Senator Maula Bux Chandio has warned the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)-led federal govern­ment against “conspiring to overthrow the Sindh government”, saying that such a step will shake the federation.

Speaking at a press conference at his residence on Tuesday, he strongly criticised federal minis­ters for badmouthing against the PPP leadership and provincial government. He reminded Infor­ma­tion Minister Fawad Chaudhry of his statement that implied that some force other than PPP was there and could dislodge the PTI government. Mr Chandio asked him to refrain from bragging about that much.

He said that robberies had been committed on Sindh government in the past but this time round, strange statements like “we are going to dislodge provincial gov­ern­ment” were being issued.

Senator Chandio retorted that PTI should take care of its own house instead of talking of toppling the Sindh government. He was also critical of a PTI lawmaker’s statement telling people to wait for a good news, pointing out that people did not choose PTI in Sindh.

Says PPP takes federal government’s ‘conspiracies’ seriously

He said there were instances of one-man government in the shape of Jam Sadiq Ali, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Liaquat Jatoi and Ali Mohammad Khan Mahar that had been thrust upon Sindh in the past. “These regimes always mul­ti­plied miseries of Sindh,” he claimed, and wondered whether the Sindh government was an encroachment that could be dismantled.

“Only one statement of [PPP chairman] Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has shaken the PTI. Peoples Party always remains prepared to face any situation; its patience is tested whilst in government in the name of Constitution and law; it had never spoken against democratic process the way [ousted prime minister] Nawaz Sharif did in the past and PTI is questioning it these days.”

Senator Chandio said that the path adopted by the federal government was not the right one considering the fact that PTI itself lacked majority in the National Assembly. He advised PTI to focus on its government and asked it to fulfil the promises it had made during [the recent general] elections.

The senior PPP leader welcomed Supreme Court Chief Justice Saqib Nisar’s remarks on joint investigation team’s report and federal government’s move of putting PPP leadership’s names on the exit control list. “It is up to the National Accountability Bur­eau (NAB) and the judiciary to scrutinise the report,” he said, and asked whether federal ministers had read it in advance.

He argued that PTI ministers used to discuss many things against Sharifs which subsequ­ently proved to be correct and that their (PML-N’s) suspicions against PTI seemed true.

“PPP has taken federal govern­ment’s threats seriously,” he said, and cautioned that if PTI adopted this path, then everything inclu­ding PTI would be lost. “You are yourselves guest artists,” he remarked.

He sarcastically said that PTI ministers were rightly discussing the JIT report as they did not have anything to discuss other than it.

Mr Chandio advised the PTI government to desist from giving an impression that it could dislodge the Sindh government and said the federal government itself would see the results if it took such a step.

He said PPP did not want to overthrow the federal government and PTI should also let the democratically elected govern­ment in Sindh working. “If PTI believes it will get [majority] seats in a re-election, it is sadly mista­ken. State institutions see that PPP and other opposition parties are not going for a conflict but it’s the federal government that is deliberately trying to create such an environment.”

Mr Chandio said that PPP wanted to play its role of opposition in the National Assembly.

He said the PTI government had taken several U-turns and feared this might lead to an ‘about turn’.

“Everyone knows the Constitu­tion provides a procedure for an in-house change and [imposition of governor’s rule but attempts to convert a majority into a minority will not benefit democracy.”

Senator Chandio observed that many sensible people were part of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), and hoped that they would not become part of the “conspiracy against Sindh”. He said that governor house and presidency had no role in a democratic regime but, he alleged, they were being used for different conspiracies.

“As far as the PPP government [in Sindh] is concerned, the party’s central executive committee has decided that Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will take a step forward in case of any undemocratic step [taken against it].”

He said that the senate chairman from Balochistan was got elected to give due representation to that province. An in-house change in Balochistan was decision of its people, he added.

He said that acrimony with PML-N developed when Nawaz Sharif cancelled a scheduled meeting with [PPP supremo] Asif Ali Zardari.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2019