KARACHI, Nov 27: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said on Thursday that the elements that were defeated in the election were looking for issues to destabilise the coalition government of the Pakistan People’s Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Awami National Party, but they would not get any such opportunity.

“Our endeavours would be to keep this alliance intact. We want that problems of the people could be solved to provide them relief,” he said.

The chief minister gave this assurance on the floor of the Sindh assembly in response to the issue of the reported simmering tension between the Pakhtun and Urdu-speaking populations in some localities, raised through a point of order by Amanullah Mehsud of the ANP and responded to by Faisal Sabzwari of the MQM.

He said: “Our all-out efforts are for keeping this alliance intact because it is in the interest of the people of Sindh and Pakistan,” he said.

He thanked MQM chief Altaf Hussain and ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan and President Asif Ali Zardari for their role in giving practical shape to the vision of the late Benazir Bhutto, who soon after returning from her exile had held talks with the leaderships of all major parties to give a chance to the majority party to form the next government and to give due respect to the opposition.

The PPP-MQM-ANP alliance was formed after the election results in the same spirit in the larger interest of the province and the country, he said, and pointed out that core committees had been formed at the party level so that if there was any contentious issue among them, instead of taking it to the people, first it should be taken up at the committee and if not sorted out, should be raised at the level of party leadership.

The chief minister assured the house that next week he would tell the house about the bone of contention, if any, between the parties and progress made for resolving it.

Shoaib Bokhari of the MQM said there were no differences between the ANP and the MQM and a meeting was to be held tonight between them. He said the chief minister had rightly pointed out that there were some forces who wanted to create ethnic tension.

Law Minister Ayaz Soomro assured the house that the government would not allow anyone, whatever party he belonged to, to disturb law and order in the province and would initiate action against the offenders. He asked the people not to be misled by propaganda, which was part of a calculated conspiracy against the government and democracy. He urged both sides to ask their supporters to demonstrate restraint.

The chief minister also referred to the issue of murder of three children by police in Khairpur district, which was raised by Leader of the Opposition Jam Madad Ali.

According to the police, Mr Shah said, the police had received a report that kidnappers and dacoits were hiding in the area and when the police party reached there to take on them, the suspects escaped. Three children were killed by police firing. The government had arrested two policemen while the others escaped and efforts were being made to arrest them also. Besides, the SHO and an ASI were also suspended and inquiry had been ordered in addition to departmental action against the accused.

Earlier, when the house was called to order at 11.55am by Speaker Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, Muhammad Adil of the MQM on a point of order drew the attention of the house to his constituency where armed people were using heavy machinery to cut a hill to make a road to have access to New Karachi. He said as there was no government official present, it was a cause of concern for the people.The speaker said that as the local government minister was not present in the house, the matter should be brought into his knowledge.

Amanullah Mehsud of the ANP said Pakhtuns who ran petty businesses of restaurants and pushcarts and worked as cobblers and chowkidars were being harassed and driven from certain areas. Terming it a conspiracy, he said hundreds of such incidents had taken place in Landhi, Korangi, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad and other localities. He said he wanted to bring it to the notice of coalition partner MQM that our city was being pushed towards ethnic tension.

He requested the government and the MQM to take its notice, and offered them that if they had apprehensions of Talibanisation in any locality, his party would cooperate with them in eliminating that problem.

Faisal Sabzwari of the MQM, responding to the point of order, said that in his constituency people were evacuated from their homes, but he was thankful that with the help of the police and Rangers they were rehabilitated.

He said he did not like to mention any particular ethnic group, but certainly would draw the attention of all political leaderships that instead of leaving the matter to the people “let us sit together and sort it out through dialogue”.

Jam Madad Ali, leader of the opposition, drew the attention of the chair to the commitment made on Tuesday by the law minister that a joint resolution in the house would be moved for opposing privatisation of the Qadirpur Gas Fields.

He suggested that the treasury and opposition benches sit together to draft the resolution, which could be moved on Friday.

Law Minister Ayaz Soomro said that the point was already implemented at the federal level.

Journalists protest

Soon after the members started raising points of order, journalists in the press gallery staged a walkout to protest against the failure of the police to arrest killers of Dadu-based journalist Azim Leghari, who was killed in August.

Information Minister Shazia Marri went to the gallery and assured the journalists of her cooperation in efforts to help arrest the killers. She also pointed out that she had visited the bereaved family and gave a cheque for Rs200,000 to the family.

Senior Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq who is from Dadu said that the late Mr Leghari was his friend and he was in touch with police officials for the arrest of the killers.

Mumbai terror

Before the speaker called its day to meet on Friday at 9am, the house passed a resolution, unanimously condemning the terror attacks in Mumbai. The resolution, which was jointly moved by Law Minister Ayza Soomro, Syed Sardar Ahmad of the MQM and Jam Madad Ali, leader of the opposition, read:

“The assembly expresses deep shock and dismay over the recent bombings and spate of violence in Mumbai which have killed over 100 people belonging to various nationalities. The assembly regrets the loss of precious innocent lives, recognises this atrocity as a crime against humanity, perpetrators of which must be severely punished, and expresses whole- hearted solidarity with the people of Mumbai and India at this time of crisis.”