Plan to divert Sindh, Karachi's revenue to Islamabad will not succeed: PPP
Plan to divert Sindh, Karachi's revenue to Islamabad will not succeed: PPP
KARACHI (Dunya News) - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said that the plan to divert Sindh and its capital Karachi’s revenue to Islamabad will not succeed because Karachi is an integrated part of Sindh and the city would remain its integrated part forever.
Former President Asif Ali Zardari has been summoned by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) without any reason. On the directive of Asif Ali Zardari, workers wouldn’t gather in front of NAB office on August 17.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari has said that he has been facing NAB cases alone in the past and will continue to do so.
A meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the PPP was held at Bilawal House Karachi, Saturday, which was co-chaired by the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former president Asif Ali Zardari.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended the meeting in person along with other party leaders, while former President Asif Ali Zardari attended the meeting via video link.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Mian Raza Rabbani, Sardar Abdul Lateef Khosa, Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar, Nafisa Shah, Humayun Khan, Shazia Marri, Nawab Yusuf Talpur, Saeed Ghani, Jamil Soomro, Sadiq Imrani, Waqar Mehdi, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Manzoor Hussain Wassan and Pir Mazharul Haq attended the meeting, while Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Farhatullah Khan Babar, Faryal Talpur, Farooq H. Naik, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Ali Madad Jattak, Chaudhry Manzoor, Haider Zaman Qureshi, Faisal Karim Kundi, Azam Khan Afridi, Makhdoom Jameel-uz Zaman, Maula Bux Chandio, Nisar Ahmad Kharo, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, Advocate Amjad and others participated in the meeting through video link.
While addressing a post-meeting press conference, Mian Raza Rabbani said that the meeting was based on a 6-point agenda, including Gilgit-Baltistan elections, political situation and organisational issues in Punjab, recent legislation in the country, the developing situation in Karachi especially in light of a statement made by the Attorney General (AG), the NAB and Human Rights Watch reports and the situation in view of the Supreme Court remarks, as well as matters related to the August 17 NAB summons of former President Asif Ali Zardari and the overall situation of the party. The meeting discussed all the issues mentioned above.
He said that Gilgit-Baltistan elections have been postponed for three months, while preparations for the elections and issues of giving tickets to candidates were discussed in the meeting. In the meeting, Syed Naveed Qamar gave a detailed briefing on the recent legislation regarding FATF.
Senator Raza Rabbani said that the government deliberately presented the bills related to FATF in the last hours of the stipulated deadline, so that they could not be reviewed in detail. The government once again tried to make the Parliament a rubber stamp through that move, but the opposition parties, especially the PPP, ensured for a limited time that the constitutional rights of ordinary citizens were not affected. The government included clauses in the bills that would deprive ordinary citizens of their rights, and they would live in fear of victimisation.
He added that the opposition and especially the PPP has taken position on three laws. Among these are; the law on terrorism is such that if it is passed, every citizen will be affected by it, because the definition of terrorism described in it is very vague. This law is not just a black law, but a “king of black laws”. The second law is about amendments to the criminal procedure code (Cr.PC), examples of which can only be found in Hitler and Mussolini’s times. The government wants the investigating officer to have unlimited powers. The third bill is about anti-money laundering, as a result of which the entire nation would suffer. The bill violates a citizen’s confidence. Raza Rabbani said that PPP would resist these laws together with other opposition parties.
He said that the second issue was the role of NAB, which is naked to everyone. The role of NAB in the making Patriot party is not hidden. The PPP knows very well how the NAB is being used. Human Rights Watch report has fully exposed the NAB while the apex judiciary’s observations and decisions have exposed the NAB.
He said that President Zardari did not need to be summoned by NAB at that time. He had appeared in the past, and will be again, if necessary. The PPP and its affiliates want party workers to appear before the NAB office. But President Asif Ali Zardari said that workers should not gather there, as he had faced NAB cases alone in past and would also face it in coming days. The party should protest on issues like sugar and flour crisis, inflation, bad governance and failures of the PTI government.
Raza Rabbani said that during the meeting, the statement of the AG regarding Karachi in the Supreme Court was reviewed. This is nothing new. Ever since the PPP formed the provincial government, the PTI has sometimes talked of Governor Rule and sometimes of separating Karachi from Sindh. PTI does not recognise the federal concept in the constitution. Making Karachi a colony of the Federal government is tantamount to centralisation. PTI wants to take Pakistan back to 1962.
In the 1962 constitution, the cabinet was not accountable to the Parliament. Even now, these people are not accountable to the Parliament because special assistants do not come to the Parliament and there are more than 18 people in the cabinet who have ministerial powers and they are not accountable to the Parliament. The solution and management of Karachi problem is the responsibility of Sindh government. The PPP will solve the problems of Karachi in an efficient manner. The conspiracy to separate Karachi from Sindh is not new. Islamabad wants to use Sindh capital’s revenue and people of Sindh will not accept it.
Raza Rabbani said that the party would increase its contacts with democratic forces and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would meet democratic parties and civil society members.
Speaking on the occasion, PPP leader Latif Khosa said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari were targeted by NAB rules and Musharraf also used it.
Chaudhry Pervez Elahi and others were also affected by NAB. The NAB has summoned two former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Makhdoom Yousuf Raza Gilani as well as former president Asif Ali Zardari in the same case. All this is happening in the case of Tosha Khana in which the gifted car was bought in a transparent manner and money was given and no illegality occurred and the vehicle was taken in a transparent manner.
He said that earlier other rulers have also made such payments and purchases. If there was any objection in such case, notice would have be given to them.
He said that where there is unconstitutional work, it is the responsibility of the lawyers to protest. Peoples Lawyers Forum will appear on the 17th to defend the case.
He further said that there are references against the Punjab Chief Minister (CM) to which he has no answer. When the NAB calls, he says he does not know anything. Asif Ali Zardari is not a party in the case of taking loan on fake account and Park Lane case. NAB has no authority in this but media trial is being conducted. They should first arrest Punjab CM Usman Buzdar and should file a case against him.
To a question, Raza Rabbani said that we will not compromise on the 18th amendment. We will try to protect basic human rights in the FATF laws. The party is united. At present the situation in the country is different from ten to fifteen years. Changes are being made keeping in view the situation but they are sticking to their principles but PTI regime wants to disperse opposition by creating differences between PPP, PML-N and other opposition parties.
