HYDERABAD, Oct 19: Rejecting any deal between the government and the People’s Party Parliamentarians, the president of the Sindh chapter of the PPP, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, has said that the issue of taking part, or otherwise, in the coming general elections under Gen Pervez Musharraf will be decided by the central leadership of the party and the ARD.

He said that PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain should first get himself elected and then talk about forming a coalition government with the PPP.

Talking to newsmen at an Iftar party hosted by MPA Syed Ali Nawaz Shah here on Wednesday evening, he said that the government had failed on all fronts.

He reiterated ARD’s demand for appointment of an interim government which should supervise general elections under an independent and autonomous election commission.

Qaim Ali Shah said that the pace of struggle to pressurise the government for holding free, impartial and transparent elections would be accelerated after Eid.

Mr Shah said that the assemblies and the government would cease to exist by 2007 as per the Constitution and general elections would have to be held next year.

He said that the question of any adjustment with the MQM simply did not arise.

Referring to the possible return of turncoats to the party fold, he said that PPP’s politics was based on principles and there would be no compromise on principles.

He said that PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto had never talked any deal with Gen Musharraf and that the word “deal” simply did not exist in the dictionary of PPP.

He said that in the past the government had contacted Makhdoom Amin Fahim but hastened to add that no such contacts existed at present at any level.

He said that the PPP believed in the supremacy of the Constitution, parliament and people’s power.

He said that the islands of Sindh were the exclusive property of the province and the federal government had no authority to dispose of them.

He said that the Sindh chief minister should study the revenue law and think about the livelihood of people of the adjoining areas.

He said that the party would launch a protest movement against the sale of the islands after Eid.

Replying to a question about the anti-greater Thal canal and Kalabagh dam action committee, Qaim Ali Shah said that even if some one was to disassociate himself from the committee, it would remain intact.

He said that all those parties and groups which believed in the struggle for the rights of Sindh should remain united.

Leader of opposition in the Sindh assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro demanded that the Sindh chief minister should make his point clear about the ownership of the Sindh’s islands.

He said that the federal government had no authority to dispose of Sindh’s property in the garb of development.

He said that those who were talking about the sale of islands had announced no plans to rehabilitate the poor people living on the islands and whose source of livelihood depended on and around the islands.

He said that the government, instead of providing relief to people, was busy only in the “manufacture of lotas”.

He said that if the coming elections were held in a free, fair and transparent manner, the PPP would sweep the polls.

Replying to a question, he said that the party had never accepted Gen Pervez Musharraf as president in uniform.

MPAs Pir Amjad Shah Jilani, Farheen Mughal, Sharfunnisa Laghari, Moula Bux Chandio and a large number of party workers attended the Iftar dinner.

Syed Qaim Ali Shah also visited residence of former Sindh advocate-general Qurban Ali Chohan who is seriously ill and presented a bouquet to him on behalf of party chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

REGISTRAR: The vice-chancellor of the University of Sindh has appointed M Saleh Rajar as the new registrar of the university after the expiry of Dr Saeed Ahmed Soomro’s tenure.

Mr Rajar who is also director of admissions took over the charge of the registrar’s office on Wednesday.