‘The chief justice should supervise the elections’
The elections should be held under the supervision of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, demanded former Sindh Chief Minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi on Friday.
Addressing a news conference, Awami Ettihad Party president Jatoi asked the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Supreme Court to take notice of more than 30 million dubious voters on existing electoral rolls. He alleged that the present government won through bogus voting so these authorities should intervene and announce a new date for the general elections.
Referring to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) members, he said, “They are talking about democracy and a reconciliation policy but leaders of the party make the criminals occupy our land. Hundreds of acres of my land have been occupied in Dadu district”.
“I appeal to Chief Justice of Pakistan Chaudhry Iftikhar to take suo motu notice of the rampant corruption in Sindh and put the names of corrupt PPP leaders on the Exit Control List, otherwise they will escape as soon as their government ends,” he said.
Jatoi also accused the home minister of plotting with the police and kidnappers and demanding ransom. Target killings have disturbed life in Karachi while kidnappings for ransom have affected the rest of the province, he added.
For General (retired) Pervez Mushrraf, he said, “Every politician has been a supporter of the dictator of their time. From Ayub’s era to Yahya, from General Zia to Musharraf, our politicians are seen sitting with all of them”. “What is wrong if I joined Musharraf’s cabinet?” he asked.
Clarifying his statement, Jatoi said that even though he was part of the “dictator’s” cabinet, he did not compromise on Sindh’s issues, whether they were related to water or natural resources. “I can tell you that I sacrificed my post as the chief minister during the Nawaz League’s tenure only because of the opposition to the Kalabagh Dam,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2011.
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