Jail or no jail, Sindh CM’s tenure is ‘PPP’s prerogative’

Dr Leghari joins the PPP; party protests arrest of Khursheed Shah

KARACHI: Members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have always expressed pride in what they call the former president, Asif Ali Zardari's resilience all through the years he was in jail. Now, it seems, that the current Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, has adopted a similar attitude to a potential stint in jail. With the possibility of his arrest looming near, the CM said that it is the prerogative of the party and the assembly to continue the tenure of the chief minister, whether the elected person is in jail or anywhere else.

Addressing a press conference at the CM House on Saturday, Shah said that the party nominates a candidate to be the chief minister and the provincial assembly elects the person. It is then up to them to decide whether the elected candidate will continue his tenure or not, even if he is in jail, he added.

During the press conference, Dr Bande Ali Leghari, a member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced he is quitting PTI and joining the PPP.

In response to a question, Shah said that in case of his arrest, the party and provincial assembly were empowered to either let him continue as the CM or ask for his resignation. "Why would I be arrested when I am cooperating with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in its inquiry," asked Shah.

Sindh CM willing to assist NAB’s inquiry into Captive Power Plant Tariff subsidy

The CM said that the PPP has 98 MPAs in Sindh Assembly and after by-elections, in Larkana and Johi the party's strength would reach to 100. "The party and the assembly have the authority to decide whether the CM will continue or not," said Shah.

Referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan's speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Shah said that Khan spoke about Indian atrocities in Kashmir but did not press the UNGA to hold plebiscite in occupied Kashmir. The prime minister forgot about other Muslims and their plight, added Shah.

In response to a query on water shortage in Dadu, the CM said that he was planning on remodelling the lining of Dadu Canal to resolve issues of water shortage.

Dr Leghari joins PPP

During the press conference, which was attended by MNA Rafiq Jamali, MPAs Fayaz Butt and Dr Shajila Leghari, Dr Bande Ali Leghari announced that he is joining PPP.

"The PPP has served the people of Sindh very well. I am quitting PTI and joining PPP," said Dr Leghari.

Shah welcomed him to the party and recalled that Dr Leghari's grandfather was a PPP MNA from Dadu district in 1977.

Sindh CM's inspection team sees five chiefs in eight months

Protest at KPC

Meanwhile, hundreds of PPP workers staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club on Saturday against the arrest of PPP leader, Khursheed Shah. Information, Archives and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani, CM's Special Assistant Waqar Mehdi, Rashid Rabbani, Javed Nagori and Shahida Rehmani participated in the protest. The protesters called for the release of Khursheed Shah. PPP leaders maintained that 'fake cases' were made against former prime minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and PPP Co-chairperson and former president Asif Ali Zardari was imprisoned for 11 years in 'fake cases'. They claimed that dictatorship was being disguised as democracy and accused the current government of having been elected on the basis of lies.

Clamouring for Khursheed's release the protesters said that they would rid Islamabad of the dirt soon so that democracy could be saved. "NAB cannot arrest the ideology of Khursheed Shah," shouted the protesters while adding that their party's chairperson, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has directed the march towards Rawalpindi. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2019.