Sindhi intellectuals reject Zardari’s stance

KARACHI: Sindhi intellectuals and writers rejected the statement and stance of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and termed his outburst a preventive measure to avoid further actions against the corrupt elements.
However, the intellectuals and writers opposed any interference of non-civilian and non-democratic forces in the affairs of civilian set-up.They demanded concrete action against corruption all over the country, especially in Sindh, and advised the PPP leadership to put its house in order before challenging security establishment.
Prominent writer and analyst Naseer Memon told ‘The News’ that Asif Zardari’s thunder against the security establishment would not draw much support from the public because the people of Sindh had seen the monarchy of Zardari and his corrupt coterie. The PPP had no more Jiyalas in its ranks but was replete with corrupt scoundrels who had plundered the people of Sindh and ruined the province ruthlessly.
Mr Memon added whereas the security establishment had its illegitimate interests and they wanted to coerce the political forces but it did not exonerate political leadership from their own sins and he wished Mr Zardari should first atone for his crimes and put his house in order before challenging the security establishment.
“I am a staunch opponent of the way the security establishment is behaving in Sindh and I am equally against the PPP’s mafia-like rule in Sindh. The people would happily sacrifice their lives for genuine democracy but, sorry, it is difficult for us to risk our lives to support a rule of corrupt gangs. Under Asif Zardari’s leadership, the PPP has emerged as anti-people’s party in Sindh. He has done irreparable damage to the party and Sindh. Massive corruption, nepotism and flagrant violation of merit is antithesis of democracy and cannot be defended/justified in the name of democracy,” concluded Memon.
Senior journalist and famous analyst Ali Qazi said that he was not sure about the allegations of corruption but there was a strong perception about corruption in every institution and department of the Sindh government, so whenever any institution took action against corruption apart from they had mandate or not, the conscious class of Sindh supported these actions.
Qazi added that Asif Zardari took a very strong position as a preventive measure to avoid further actions after the raid of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) office.“Owing to bad governance, corruption and mismanagement, the people of Sindh suffered very much and the party could not get support from the masses in case of any agitation,” concluded Qazi.
Writer Zulifqar Halipoto said why this tone was not used by the PPP leadership and Zardari against the security establishment when Benazir Bhutto was martyred. At that time, they compromised the blood under so-called reconciliation and took Pervez Elahi as deputy prime minister, but now when Asif Zardari’s assets were threatened, the reconciliation went into dustbin.
Mr Halipoto added that Mr Zardari loved his money more than anything -- he had ruined Sindh like anything but the days were numbered.Analyst Dastgier Bhatti said that the Sindh writers had been opposing the PPP style of governance and corruption for the last many years.
Mr Bhatti added that due to this situation, no writer of Sindh ever supported the PPP government from 2008 and no one had written any write-up or column in its favour. “This hue and cry of Asif Zaradri is only to save his illegal money,” concluded Bhatti.
Writer Mushtaq Mirani said that he always declared at every forum that Sindh was ruled criminally by PPP leadership but there should be no support and room for non-civilian forces to interfere in the affairs of the civilian governments. There should be conclusive and concrete actions against criminals and corrupt elements through legitimate institutions, he said.
Mirani added that the federal government and Nawaz Sharif were also responsible for the Sindh situation because they had given it a free hand for the last two years.Famous writer Ishtiaq Ansari said that no one was happy with the performance of the PPP in Sindh as Zardari was using the people of Sindh for his own motives.
Mr Ansari said that Asif Zardari had converted Sindh into a fiefdom and every person and every class of Sindh was in a miserable condition due to corruption and bad governance. Sindhi intellectuals and writers reject the stance of Mr Zardari and demand a decisive action against corrupt elements in Sindh, he said.
Advocate and writer Ali Palh said that Zardari’s statement in the current context indicated many weaknesses of his rule in the province and his outburst was frustration on what Rangers, NAB and corps commander had done against gangsters and mafias in Karachi for which majority of PPP ministers and parliamentarians were accused.
Mr Palh concluded by saying, “I personally see it as the last flame of a candle before it extinguishes and it seems that the days of Zardari are counted.”