Key arrest made in Ali Raza Abidi assassination case, says Sindh CM

Murad Ali Shah says killers of the former parliamentarian would be brought to book very soon

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday said that an 'important arrest' relating to the assassination of former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MNA Ali Raza Abidi has been made 'at the airport'.

"The investigation is going on into the incident, therefore we cannot disclose more details," he said while addressing media personnel after offering condolences to Syed Akhlaq Hussain Abidi, the father of slain former parliamentarian, at his residence.

Shah added that the Abidi's killers would be brought to book very soon.

To a question regarding theassassination , CM Shah said that it was a shocking incident and he had not been given such any intelligence report about such threats.



"After the three incidents - Landhi blast, attack on Milad gathering in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and attack on Chinese Consulate - I had convened a law and order meeting to discuss the overall situation and work out new strategies," he said. "It was our failure that the terrorists had managed to reach the consulate and three innocent lives were lost," he said.

'No forward bloc in Sindh'

The chief minister said that the formation of a forward bloc in the Sindh Assembly to overthrow the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government is a dream that will not come true. "This is merely wishful thinking," said the CM.

In response to a question, the chief minister said that the opposition was very weak in the Sindh Assembly, but they were making claims that were above their capabilities.

"The people of rural areas of Sindh totally rejected the PTI.  They got some seats in Karachi and everyone knows how they won those," he said, adding that in the recent local bodies' elections, the people of Karachi had also rejected the PTI. "They [PTI] do not deserve a response to their futile statements."

CM Shah said that during the last tenure, someone had told him that a forward bloc was being formed in the assembly and 18 members were breaking away from the PPP. "On this, I told him to break away one MPA from PPP and I'll give 17 MPAs," he said. "These people are empty minded and they cannot assess the ground realities," he said.

Governor's rule

To another question regarding speculations of Governor's rule in Sindh, the chief minister said that there was a very clear direction in the Constitution for the imposition of Governor's rule.



The provincial assembly was empowered to call for imposition of the [Governor's] rule, otherwise it is impossible, he said. "We are in a majority and have enough strength, experience and capability to run the government and serve the people of Sindh," he said, urging the media not to lend an ear to the rumour mill.

ECL

In response to another query regarding his name being added to the Exit Control List (ECL) CM Shah said it was a surprising decision for him. "Let them [PTI government] be happy with their absurd decisions," he said, adding that since his last tenure as chief minister, he had visited China to attend the CPEC meeting, went to perform Umrah and visited Karbala and now recently went to attend another JCC meeting in China.

"I am very clear that my name has deliberately been fitted into the JIT, otherwise my name should have not been included there," he said, adding that the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has already declared the JIT report a bunch of lies.