Bilawal meets party’s MPs after rumours of forward bloc in Sindh PA

KARACHI: After the meetings of a senior party leader, Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party met with several provincial leaders and MPAs following rumours of a probable forward bloc in Sindh against the government. The rumours came up after a top provincial leader who holds highly important political and constitutional position in Sindh (under inquiry of NAB) reportedly asked some of the MPAs of PPP secretly for their support to him as according to him within sometime he was going to hold top position of province. The issue was reported to top political leadership by some of them and then the party took serious notice of the matter. On the direction of party top leadership, Syed Khurshied Shah rushed to Karachi where he met with Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Durnai, Sindh chief minister, some ministers and many MPAs on the issue.

Party sources told The News that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also started meetings with provincial party leaders including MPAs to counter any possible move to create rift in party ranks.

Sources of the party said that same political personality who begged support from MPAs has serious differences with Chief Minister Syed Murad Shah on some matters.

The numerical break-up of the strength of political parties in the 168-member Sindh Assembly is as follows: PPP is the majority party with 99 seats followed by PTI 30 seats, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) 20 seats, Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) 14 seats, and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) 3 seats. Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) has only 1 seat.

The opposition's alliance comprising of PTI, MQM, GDA and TLP in the provincial legislature has 68 seats in total, 17 members short of simple majority.

In present scenario where several PPP leaders, near forty percent MPAs, incumbent and former chief ministers, party's main leadership are facing serious cases of corruption, money laundering, fake bank accounts and other serious offences by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), some analysts are of the view that the federal government could attempt to get the benefit of the situation and could opt for the creation of a forward bloc in the Sindh Assembly to topple the PPP-led government.

Despite of many efforts, no party leader and MPA was willing to talk on the record; however, many MPAs of ruling party on the condition of anonymity disclosed that they are under pressure of some circles for changing loyalties.

One MPA told this reporter that he was under pressure and he and his family members were facing baseless cases and inquiries but in spite of changing loyality he would prefer to leave the politics

Senior party leaders told The News that these are just rumours, not the reality as in presence of 18th Amendment it was impossible to create any forward bloc. He also said that people are making efforts to create rifts in the party but the PPP is a strong political party having its roots in the masses, adding that it was impossible for any to beak it. He said that all PPP parliamentarians and senior leadership are on the same page and nobody can think of leaving the party of the people.