Political cross fire: Local bodies will not be given as many powers as before: Chandio

Information adviser lays down honestly the future of local govt in Sindh

HYDERABAD: The local bodies in the province will not be given the same level of powers that they enjoyed during General (retd) Pervez Musharraf's government, said Sindh information adviser Maula Bux Chandio.

"A propaganda campaign is being carried out [for granting more authority to the local bodies]," he said, hinting at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's demands. "We hope to resolve the issue through negotiations." He was talking to the media on Saturday at two separate events at Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Sindhi Language Authority.

The grand alliance of the opposition parties in Sindh poses no threat to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), he said. "Only Pir Pagara sahab among all of them has political influence but that too only in one or two districts [of Sindh]," he claimed.



Chandio found the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Arbab Ghulam Rahim of Tharparkar, Murtaza Jatoi of Noshehro Feroze and Liaquat Jatoi of Dadu to be political lightweights who cannot challenge the support base of PPP.

The adviser also raked the federal interior minister, Chaudhry Nisar, over his verbal attack against the Sindh government. "Chaudhry Nisar has a different nature. Even in normal circumstances he speaks like as if he is fighting," he claimed. "In [the National] Assembly, he acts like a viceroy."

Chaudhry's attitude towards Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah was also no different from his behaviour with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2016.