Allegations levelled by Saulat should be investigated: Qaim Ali Shah

SUKKUR: Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah presided over a meeting of the People’s Party, Sukkur Division, which was held here on Wednesday in connection with the arrangements being made for the 36th death anniversary of Z A Bhutto.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Qaim said no decision was taken in the CEC meeting of the party to get the party designations surrendered from those holding administrative posts. No such proposal is being discussed in the party either, he said.
Regarding the probe into the allegations levelled by Saulat Mirza, he said the Sindh government had not received any official letter from the central government for the constitution of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT). He said it was a subject of the Federal Interior Ministry. However, the allegations Saulat Mirza levelled should be investigated.
Qaim Ali Shah said the PPP had decided not to field a candidate from the NA-246 Karachi by-election. He said it was a seat of the MQM and the MQM always won from there.
He said the Sindh government has pledged to ensure law and order on the polling day, while the Rangers and police had already restored normalcy in Karachi. He pointed out that target killings and other crimes in the city had reduced. Shah said the April 4th programmes would be held in the morning hours owing to security issues.
The Co-chairman of PPP, Asif Ali Zardari, will address on the occasion, while Bilawal Bhutto will speak from London through video link. He said the PPP workers will reach Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto to pay rich tributes to the great leader.
The chief minister Sindh earlier addressed a party meeting where he said due to security reasons the party meetings would not be held on April 4th at each district headquarter, but would be held at divisional level. He said the PPP was playing a major role for continuation of democracy. He said Musharraf had distorted the Constitution but Asif Ali Zardari gave the 18th Amendment and even surrendered his power to parliament and restored the Constitution to its original shape to protect the Constitution given by ZA Bhutto.
Referring to Thar, Qaim Ali Shah said the PPPP developed Thar and gave an RO plant, the largest in Asia, to ensure availability of purified drinking water to the people of Thar. Drought in Thar was because of a shortage of water and rains, but the PPP government in Sindh was addressing the water issue.
He said there were allegations of rigging in the general election, but PPP still accepted the results. He said the people of Thar, especially women, exercised their vote in favour of the PPP.
Sources said a meeting of the party to be held at the house of the Leader of the Opposition Syed Khursheed Shah was cancelled due to serious concerns of Senator Islamuddin Sheikh, who refused to attend it there. Later, it was held at the Circuit House but Khursheed Shah and Sheikh did not attend it.
Local PPP leaders claimed that there was a division in the party in Sukkur; one group is led by Shah and the other is led by Sheikh. But the central party leadership has not taken the issue seriously.