Fed up with corruption: People of Sindh looking for suitable alternative, says Qureshi

KARACHI: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said the people of Sindh were fed up with bad governance and corruption in the provincial government and were looking for suitable alternatives.

Qureshi, who is also the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Vice Chairman, expressed this while speaking at a meeting with the party’s elected representatives and office-bearers in Sindh at the chamber of opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly building.

Opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, senior leaders and MPAs Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Bilal Abdul Gaffar, Khurram Sher Zaman, Jammal Siddiqui, Dr Saeed Afridi, MNA Jai Parkash Lohana and former provincial minister Muzaffer Shujra were also present in the meeting.

He said that like other provinces of the country, the PTI was capable of bringing change by utilising political opportunities available in Sindh with proper planning. “In Sindh, especially in Karachi, PTI got a resounding victory in the previous general elections,” he said, adding: “The charismatic personality of Imran Khan and his courageous support to the frightened citizens of Karachi translated into PTI’s victory in the 2018 elections.”

The FM said the ideology of a large section of the urban population of Sindh was different from that of PPP and the people were in quest of an alternative political platform. “Even in rural areas of Sindh, a significant number of people were ready to join PTI only if they were offered a reasonable alternative,” he added.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan considers the entire province of Sindh as his responsibility, adding the PTI government was taking every possible step to ameliorate Sindh’s condition within the ambit of the Constitution.

He said that despite unfavorable conditions and severe pressure, the opposition in Sindh province was striving to live up to the expectations of the masses. He said that there is a lack of good governance in Sindh, while the PPP government, during its prolonged tenure, got ample opportunities but disappointed the people of Sindh.

The FM said the presence of a large number of people in the recent public meetings in Umerkot and Mithi showed that the masses were looking towards the PTI and eagerly wanted change.

He said the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also acknowledged the principled stand of Imran Khan and the PTI defeated the political parties, such as the Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) within their strongholds. “PTI returned successfully in 2018 for the second time in KP that had never happened in the history of the province,” he added.

He said that although the PMLN had deep roots in Punjab, the PTI emerged as the best political alternative, while in the southern Punjab, which was once considered the stronghold of the PPP, the PTI got a thumping victory.

He said the situation in Sindh was not different as the people of Sindh were weary of the circumstances. PTI’s supporters in Sindh were being victimized, while the general public was being deprived of their rights, he bemoaned.

Mentioning Sindh’s prominent political figures, such as former ministers Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Ghous Ali Shah and Muzaffar Ali Shah, who had joined the PTI, the FM claimed that many other important personalities in Sindh were ready to join the caravan of change.

He termed the non-representation of the opposition in the Standing Committees and Public Accounts Committee and other Parliamentary forums in the Sindh Assembly a violation of the democratic norms.

“It was agreed in the Charter of Democracy that the Public Accounts Committee would be headed by the Leader of the Opposition Shahbaz Sharif and after him Rana Tanveer held the post,” Qureshi said, adding: “The same norm was in practice in KP and Balochistan.” He said that those who preach democracy must read and follow the democratic norms themselves before teaching them to others.

He demanded of the Leader of the House in Sindh Assembly to respect the democratic, constitutional and parliamentary traditions and ensure proportional representation of the opposition in the Standing Committees and the Public Accounts Committee in the province should be headed by the Leader of the Opposition.