NAWABSHAH, Oct 30: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional and Nawabshah United Front announced on Thursday unconditional support for the Pakistan People’s Party-backed contender for the seat of nazim of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto district.

A party delegation led by its acting district president MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio and nazim’s contender Ziaul Hassan Lanjar visited MQM’s zonal office late on Wednesday night.

The party’s zonal organiser Anwar Saleem and taluka nazim Abdul Rauf Khan welcomed the delegation and later announced unconditional support for the PPP contender at a joint press conference. Anwar Saleem also offered to propose Zia’s name for the top slot in the council.

MPA Ghulam Qadir Chandio and Zia thanked MQM’s goodwill gesture and assured that they would take their coalition partner along after the election process.

Syed Munir Shah, chairman of district accounts committee of the district council and nazim of union council Pir Zakri also announced unconditional support for the PPP candidate after a PPP delegation led by Ziaul Hassan met with him.

District president of PML-F Ali Mohammad Dahiri who is also president of District Bar Association also announced unconditional support for the PPP contender.

He said that his party had in principle agreed to support Zia for the seat of district nazim in light of instructions from Pir Saheb Pagara and Syed Sadaruddin Shah.

FAILURE: The system of Musalihati Anjuman, a forum to settle minor disputes at local level, remained non-functional due to lack of cooperation from and awareness among elected representatives, said Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, president of PPP Nawabshah taluka and a contender for the district nazim’s seat.

He said at the concluding session of a four-day training programme on gender justice and human rights organised by Aurat Foundation at a local restaurant on Thursday that Musalihati Anjuman system was aimed at settling disputes at the lowest level with the involvement and participation of elected representatives, but it largely remained non-functional.

He said that the society continued to operate along its old traditional course, which had of late failed to give people easy justice. Disputes and problems could never be solved by a feudal lord or a landlord, he said.

He said that he had remained taluka chairman of the Anjuman and referred a case to a local court but did not ever receive any response. He urged the trainees to spread awareness among people about their rights.

Acting district nazim, Abdul Haq Jamali, said that the training workshops helped elected representatives learn and resolve problems of people at their doorsteps and spread awareness. Earlier, Lala Hassan Pathan, Mushtaq Pirzada and Shireen Khan of the Aurat Foundation welcomed the guests and briefed participants about the functioning of their organisation.