Elections will not be held on time: Wassan

SUKKUR: Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce Manzoor Hussain Wassan has said that he was not really sure if the upcoming general elections will be held on time or not, keeping the current circumstances in view.

He added that it is possible that the elections will be delayed or they will be held suddenly, before time. Wassan said this while addressing the media on the inauguration of Sindh Industrial Trading Estate’s new building in the Golimar Industrial area.

“Some forces are trying to bring a technocrat government for some time,” he said. “Call for early elections is Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s conspiracy. Imran Khan wants the elections to be held during the accountability process.”

The minister added that it was quite likely for Imran Khan to be disqualified as well in this process. “Imran Khan will himself repent one day, when his MNAs will be held accountable,” he said. “You cannot win in politics by arranging ‘jalsas’, but the public mandate is the real indication of your victory or loss.”

Wassan said: “Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) were essentially still the same. The MQM-P and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) will remarry before the elections and I will solemnise the Nikah. Both parties will collectively fight for seats in the upcoming elections.” He alleged that there was a possibility of the federal government’s involvement in creating problems between the MQM and establishment.

The minister said the current circumstances indicate that there will be problems between politicians and the establishment for the first time. He added that in November or December, there will no problem since the weather is colder in December, which will make the stay in jail less uncomfortable.

Wassan said that the drama that has taken place between the MQM-P and PSP was expected but he did not expect it to happen so soon because ‘Altaf Bhai used to take six hours, but they did the same drama in only one hour’. He further added, “When we hear the word ‘Bhai’, it means something is wrong.”

The minister said: “I have been saying this for the last one year that MQM-P and MQM-L are the same. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has been watching this drama for a long time. Attempts are being made to create political unrest in the country. Talks for a new province have been initiated to unite votes. However, it is not new that an alliance against the PPP was being created. Whenever an alliance was created against the PPP, it just made our party stronger. Such an alliance was also made in the times of Jam Sadiq. That alliance also failed and these new alliances will also fall apart.”

Wassan said that the PPP was for democracy only. He added: “We will stand by all the measures that would eventually strengthen democracy and make the country stronger and more stable. We are here because of democracy only.”

The minister said that the Sindh government was taking all steps to promote industrial development. “We are trying to establish as many industries as possible so that youth can get better employment opportunities,” the minister said. “In the six-road development project of Sukkur’s industrial zone, expenses of Rs38 million were incurred. The work was halted for years and I completed the work as soon as I took charge.”

In the end, he said that Rs20 million were spent on making the new building of the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate. The building was completed within nine months only, he concluded.