KARACHI: Political parties in Sindh closed ranks as reports of Governor’s Rule that had started to do the rounds after the last apex committee meeting in Karachi began to circulate again following the pre-dawn raid by the Rangers on the Muttahida Qaumi Movement headquarters, it emerged on Thursday.

The resentment and anger expressed by the army chief, Gen Raheel Sharif, in the apex committee meeting held on Feb 16 over the state of affairs in Sindh had fuelled speculation about imposition of Governor’s Rule.

However, not only the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, but also a party like the Awami National Party that currently does not have representation in the Sindh Assembly opposed any such step.

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They also believed that although there were elements who did not like to see democratic governments functioning, the peaceful holding of the Senate elections indicated that the democratic system was taking root in the country and moving forward.

The PPP’s Saeed Ghani, recently nominated as his party’s parliamentary party leader in the Senate, said that Governor’s Rule could only be imposed on the advice of the prime minister and had to be endorsed by a joint sitting of parliament within six months. He believed that parliament would not endorse any such move.

“Besides, when our army is engaged in the war against terrorism, it would be difficult to concentrate and continue to get support from political parties,” he said.

He said imposing Governor’s Rule in Sindh would be an unwise decision.

Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani said that no political party would like to see derailment of an elected set-up unless the situation became ungovernable for the representative government.

MQM leader Syed Faisal Subzwari said that his party believed in democracy. “That’s why we stress that democratic governments operate and govern in a just and effective manner. It would negate all the non-democratic ideas automatically,” he said cautiously.

Senior leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Functional Pir Sadruddin Shah Rashdi aka Yunus Sain wondered what was the need to impose Governor’s Rule in Sindh when ‘the establishment’ was already given a legal cover to conduct a ruthless operation.

Sindh PML-N president Ismail Rahu said that his party had no plan to impose Governor’s Rule in the province.

He said that his party wanted that every elected government discharge its responsibilities and deliver to the people during its tenure.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Samar Ali Khan felt that the elected government had failed to deliver to the masses and it was a favourable situation for imposition of Governor’s Rule. However, he said that it was not the solution.

“In principle, we do not favour [imposition of] Governor’s Rule,” he said.

Bashir Jan of the ANP said that Governor’s Rule or even martial law was not the solution to any problem since only a democratic government could provide a permanent solution to all issues.

He said the ongoing operation against targeted killers and other criminals was progressing well but there was a need to make it more effective.

Published in Dawn March 13th, 2015

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