HYDERABAD, April 13: Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro has asked the people to give the PPP government some time to settle down.

If the new government was not given time to address people’s problems, the situation would be back to square one, he said.

He was speaking at a reception hosted by Sindh Democratic Forum Secretary Zulfikar Halepoto here on Saturday evening. He said that the rule of law under the federal parliamentary system required a culture of tolerance.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the system because there was no service delivery. Yet, he said, new government had given an outline. “Will you (civil society) give us some time or start blaming us on day one that you have done nothing”, he said in response to speeches made at the reception.

He said that PPP’s decision of participating in elections was a wise one and they would certainly move ahead from here. “We have lost Benazir Bhutto in our struggle that installed a PPP government. Can we lose this opportunity to put us back to square one?”, he quipped.

He said that civil society needs to take responsibility as well and only a collective wisdom as well as responsibility can take us forward.

He was quite critical of contention that teachers and doctors would not go to educational institutions hospitals because their political rivals are sitting there. “Whether we have been waiting for our transfers and postings alone”, he said.

He asked as to why efforts were not made so far to establish cottage industries in villages on the pattern of looms working in the city though industrialisation is badly needed.

He said that past government could not even produce 500 kv of electricity although coal of Thar could have turned the things around that’s why its essential that we should seize this opportunity if we love our land.

The guest speakers gave different suggestions about their respective fields. They included Abrar Kazi, Zulfikar Halepoto, Agha Shahabuddin, Prof Mushtaq Mirani, Maula Bux Chandio, Ayaz Latif Palijo, Amar Sindhu, Hashim Leghari, MD Sindh Irrigation Drainage Authority, Vice Chancellor Isra University Dr. Asadullah Kazi, a progressive writer, Muslim Shamim and others.

Dr. Kazi said that illiteracy is root cause of anarchy. He called for adhering to article 14(b) of Water Accord of 1991 for distribution of water among provinces which envisages distribution of water on historic usage basis when there is enough flow or water shortage. He said that 68 indirect taxes recovered from people must be reduced.

Others opposed coalition with MQM saying latter should sit in opposition, for people in fact polled anti-Musharraf and anti-MQM votes for PPP’s candidates.

Some tried to support coalition provided PPP protects interests of Sindhis. They said that they would be watchdog over government.

It was the opinion of a speaker that PPP could not work without taking troika of MQM, military establishment and US on board and since these forces needed some space they have introduced a sort of democracy.

RECONCILIATION: Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro said that MQM need to look into their attitude because people have a particular viewpoint over MQM. He said that PPP was not having solo flight in the wake of Benazir Bhutto’s policy of reconciliation. He said that such attempt was made by PPP in 2002 but it didn’t succeed.