No harm if PPP supports Faisal Vawda in Senate elections: Sharjeel

Senior Sindh Minister and Minister for Transport and Excise & Taxation, Sharjeel Inam Memon has said there is no harm or any issue if the Pakistan Peoples Party lends support to independent candidate Faisal Vawda contesting the Senate election from Sindh.

Talking to media persons here at the Sindh Assembly building on Monday, he said Vawda’s election to the Senate of Pakistan shouldn’t be problematic for anyone. He recalled that earlier Vawda served as a member of the National Assembly from Karachi. He said that earlier Vawda belonged to a particular political party while at present he didn’t have any political affiliation.

Memon mentioned that Vawda had been contesting the Senate poll from Sindh independently. “There would be no issue if he [Vawda] gets support [from anyone] in the Senate elections,” he said.

The minister informed media persons that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf hadn’t taken any practical step to implement its announcement of boycotting the Senate elections. He said there were merely nine PTI-backed MPAs in the Sindh Assembly who didn’t have the strength required to win any seat in the Senate elections. He said the PPP would secure an overwhelming victory in the Senate elections on Tuesday.

Memon said the founder of the PTI had all of a sudden taken up the issue of independence of the judiciary after spending six months behind bars. He mentioned that the PPP had rendered sacrifices for the cause of the restoration of an independent judiciary in the country.

The senior minister lamented that earlier false cases were lodged against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari while certificates of Sadiq and Ameen were issued to the PTI founder, but there was no movement at that time for the independence of the judiciary.

He said that a Mercedes car had been used to drive the PTI chairman to the court after the May 9 riots in the country. He said that judges had welcomed Khan on his appearance in the courts while the PTI founder also received VIP treatment in prison.

Memon said the Sindh government was fully serious about curbing the menaces of dacoits in the riverine areas and street robbers in urban parts of Sindh. He said protecting the life and belongings of every citizen was the solemn duty of the government.

He said the provincial government had taken steps against the supply of narcotics and illegal weapons. He said action was also being taken against the drug dealers in Sindh. The transport minister said that new routes of the electric buses and pink buses for woman passengers were being launched in the city while work would be resumed on the under-construction Red Line corridor in Karachi after Eidul Fitr.