‘PPP to seek votes for Zardari from all political forces in parliament’

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Asif Ali Zardari would return with the highest votes as the president of the country for a second term.

“I have the honour to propose his candidature for the highest constitutional position of the country,” Shah said while talking to the media after submitting the nomination papers proposing Zardari as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election to Chief Justice of Sindh High Court (SHC) Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi.

Replying to a question, Shah said the PPP has a good working relationship with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and the Muttahida has been the Peoples Party’s coalition partner.

“We would seek their votes for Asif Ali Zardari [in the presidential election],” he said, adding that the PPP would visit all the political forces in the parliament to seek their votes for Zardari.

In response to another query, Shah claimed that the local government system in Sindh is relatively more effective, powerful and efficient than the LG systems in other provinces.

He said the MQM-P has taken up the issue of strengthening the LG system in Punjab, where this level or tier of government has not been properly established.

The MQM-P wants to replicate the better works of the Sindh government in the local bodies of Punjab, for which the party has made an agreement with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. On another question he said the PPP would decide if there is any need to improve Sindh’s LG system.

When asked to comment about Ali Amin Gandapur’s statements, Shah said that as an elected CM of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he would be following the policies of his party’s leadership. It is evident from Gandapur’s statements that he is in line with his party leader’s views, he added.

Answering another query, he said he would form his cabinet in consultation with his party leadership. He said the PPP chairman has already expressed his reservations against rigging in the general elections.

“Just like in other provinces, we have complaints of rigging in Sindh, for which the party is adopting legal measures instead of bringing the people out on roads.”

He expressed his respect for all the MPAs, including those from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). He mentioned receiving a warm welcome from the PTI MPAs, saying that he is committed to bringing all the MPAs together to serve the people of the province to the best of his abilities.

Earlier, the CM and over 30 MPAs visited the SHC to propose Zardari’s name as a candidate for the upcoming presidential election. PPP MPA Syed Nasir Shah seconded Zardari’s nomination. The CM told the media that the scrutiny of the nomination papers would be held in Islamabad on Monday.

Also present on the occasion were Faryal Talpur, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Provincial Assembly Speaker Awais Qadir Shah, Nisar Khuhro, Agha Siraj Durrani, Sharjeel Memon, Saeed Ghani, Imtiaz Shaikh, Sardar Shah, Sohail Siyal and PA Deputy Speaker Anthony Naveed among others.