HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) information secretary Senator Maula Bux Chandio has said his party apologises for the mistakes it had committed, and regretted that those who were given powers by the party stabbed it in the back.

He was commenting on the findings of the JITs in the Lyari gang warfare character Uzair Baloch’s role in killings and extortion and the Baldia factory fire incident.

Speaking at a press conference at his resident here on Tuesday, Senator Chandio said whatever was recommended in the JITs against anyone should be implemented.

He at the same time, however, questioned veracity of the JIT reports, claiming that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had made them “controversial”, and argued that [Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs] Ali Zaidi’s fresh statement showed that there were two JITs. He said that PPP would move court on this issue.

Senator Chandio also wondered as to how the minister got the JIT first, and said those who confessed to have committed crimes were hugged and were part of the coalition [at the Centre]. He said [former president] Asif Ali Zardari, MNA Faryal Talpur or the Sindh chief minister were not conceding anything [claimed in the JITs] yet they were being implicated in the affairs.

MQM should also apologise for the crimes committed by Uzair Baloch, says Chandio

He said that being a responsible party activist, he admitted that the PPP committed mistakes because the people it had trusted stabbed it in the back. Alluding to estranged PPP leader and former home minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza and his associates, he said: “Those who were made powerful conspired against PPP. By admitting certain things, they can’t avoid people of Sindh. You were master of black and white and how can you [now] dissociate yourself from us?” he argued.

Senator Chandio said he was conceding two things: “First, we realise our mistake; our trust was breached ... Dr Mirza made Uzair that powerful; and we took a wrong decision. Secondly, when the JITs were prepared, they should have been released, and not withheld for that long”.

He said action must be taken against those whose names appeared in the JITs; PPP and MQM should also apologise for the crimes committed by Uzair Baloch. “We have suffered too much”, he added.

“Asif Zardari is not connected with Uzair Baloch; he didn’t concede having let Uzair do whatever he liked.”

Lyari is a stronghold of PPP but if anyone opts for a different path, the party is not responsible for his acts, according to Senator Chandio.

Why should he name Dr Zulfikar Mirza or PPP alone; why the MQM be spared in the wake of the JITs, he argued. The senior PPP leader strongly criticised the federal government for extensive power loadshedding in Sindh in sizzling heat. He said whenever PPP was not in power, people of Sindh were punished for supporting the party.

He noted that PTI, through its statements, was ridiculing PPP’s mandate to rule over Sindh.

He asked what did MQM achieve through this politics, and claimed that PTI wanted to become an alternative to that party.

He said the bureaucracy, media and all other segments were unhappy with the PTI government.

‘Ghaibi’ votes helped government get the [2020-21] budget passed, he remarked.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2020