SUKKUR: Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Thursday suggested to the federal government to form mohalla committees comprising representatives of all political parties from the area concerned and authorise them to join the national initiatives against coronavirus spread as well as distribution of relief goods.

He was speaking to the media outside Sindh High Court building here on Thursday after appearing for party colleague Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, former leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, in a mega corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau.

Mr Rabbani was commenting on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s initiative of forming ‘Tiger Force’ to help contain the virus spread and mitigate sufferings of lockdown-hit common people. He said such a force would prove to be helpless in a situation where the entire world was faced with the worst-ever disaster of its kind. He was of the view that the huge amount of funding planned to be spent on this initiative was bound to go waste.

The veteran politician proposed convening of a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) to evolve a comprehensive [federation-provinces] strategy to save citizens from contracting the virus and the associated threats.

Hearing of Khursheed Shah’s case fixed for 7th

Earlier, Mr Rabbani appeared before SHC’s two-member bench comprising Justice Amjad Hussain Sahito and Justice Shamsuddin Abbasi to resume the hearing of the NAB reference against Syed Khursheed Shah which was adjourned for the day on Wednesday.

The defence counsel argued before the bench insisting that Mr Shah had been dragged in the scam on political grounds. He submitted that several more false cases had been instituted against him in recent past but none of them could be proved genuine and accordingly were dismissed by courts.

He asked the bench to order release of his client on bail as he was ill and being brought to the court from the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in ambulance on every date of hearing. He informed the bench that his client had been in police custody for around seven months.

Representing Mr Shah’s co-accused including his two sons and two nephews, Advocate Mukesh Kumar produced evidence and documents. His arguments, which he had started on Wednesday, were continuing until the bench rose for the day fixing April 7 as the next date of hearing.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2020