Meeting Mirza: As CM reprimands cabinet members, some offer to leave

President summons ministers, agreement on local govt must be made before Nov 6.

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah threatened on Thursday to take action against dissenting ministers of his party who have been asked to explain why they have been meeting former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza.

“We have no choice but to take action against ministers and members of the party who violate party discipline,” said Shah while chairing a cabinet meeting of the Pakistan Peoples Party ministers at CM House.

Sources privy to the meeting told The Express Tribune that Shah, who runs the PPP in Sindh, was angry with a few ministers of his cabinet. They included Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Minister for Excise and Taxation Mukesh Kumar Chawla and Minister for Jails Sadiq Ali Memon.

The meeting was convened to discuss the upcoming local government system and parleys between PPP ministers and their former colleague Dr Mirza, whose resignation as an MPA was accepted this week. During the meeting not only the CM, but also other members of the cabinet, including the PPP parliamentary leader Pir Mazhar-ul Haq, Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani, who is one of Mirza’s close friends, also criticised the errant PPP members as well as Mirza.

Sharjeel Inam Memon and Sadiq Memon are said to have explained their positions but Mukesh Chawla kept silent.

“Mirza is our best friend and we had no political agenda when we met him,” Sharjeel Inam Memon is reported to have said to the CM. “It was a personal meeting and we cannot give up our relations with him because he is so kind to us.”

Just as these words were out, Pir Mazharul Haq retorted: “Mirza has always created problems for the party. His meetings with our ministers and party members give the impression that he is creating a forward bloc.”

Sources said that the CM addressed Sadiq Memon to say, “You were MPAs and we have appointed you ministers not to breach our trust but to follow party discipline.”

Responding to this, Memon reportedly said, “Zulfiqar Mirza is our friend and there should not be any restrictions on developing relations with anyone. We have been in the party since our [elders]. We have not hatched any conspiracy against the party nor have we violated party discipline. If you do not trust me, you can take back my portfolio.”

There were reports that during the meeting, when the CM and other cabinet members criticised Mirza, a disssenting member walked out. But a spokesperson from CM House denied this news. “No cabinet member boycotted the meeting, but a few members went out for a smoke break and they later returned,” said an official.

Later, when pressed Sadiq Memon told The Express Tribune that he could not discuss the meeting as has been asked to follow party discipline.

Local government system

During the meeting Haq told said that the governor’s ordinance on local government would expire on November 6, therefore both coalition partners have to agree on the issue. “We have held many meetings, but no consensus has developed on which system should be introduced,” he is reported to have said.
“I hope we will be able to make legislation by Novem-ber 6.”

President summons PPP ministers

Sources said that President Zardari has summoned a few ministers of the Sindh cabinet to Islamabad to brief him.

They include Murad Ali Shah, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Manzoor Wassan and Jam Mahtab Dahar.

Sources said that these ministers also met Mirza the other day at a party arranged by former PPP MNA Sattar Bachani in Karachi. Meanwhile, Manzoor Wassan has been summoned to brief the president about his clash with additional IG Saud Mirza over SHO appointments.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2011.