Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, President, Pakistan Muslim League (Q), Sindh, has said that his party has fielded 88 candidates to contest in the forthcoming elections in Sindh. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday at the PML (Q) Election Office, Arbab Rahim said that women and minority candidates would be in addition to these 88 candidates.
He said the PML (Q) had nominated 88 candidates, 62 for the provincial assembly and 26 for the National Assembly, on such seats where seat adjustments were not needed.
He said the PML (Q) had adjusted seats with its previous coalition partners.
"New partners are Syed Jalal Mehmood Shah of National Peoples Party (Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi), Ghinwa Bhutto, and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI)," he said.
"As far as Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) is concerned, no seat adjustment has been made with it. Our discussion on this issue is in progress and soon we will reach consensus on a few seats. Wherever MQM feels its candidates are weak and where our candidate are unsure to win, adjustment would be carried out," said the Sindh PML (Q) chief.
Arbab Rahim said the PML (Q) would not leave any seat uncontested and there would be either its own candidate or mutually agreed candidate of a coalition partner.
He said his party would have a sweeping victory over its opponents. "It will form the next government in Sindh." He said that those parties that were talking about boycotting elections had no suitable candidates to give tickets. "It is frustration of the worst kind that has compelled the PPP Chairperson to talk about pre-poll rigging, boycott, and suspension of Nazims administrative powers," he said.
Talking about the weaknesses within the PPP, Arbab Rahim said: "Benazir Bhutto is herself filed nomination on reserve seat. She is not sure of her success in elections. She may lose from both the constituencies. She thinks if she loses from the two constituencies, then at least she will be able to make to the National Assembly through reserve seats," Arbab Rahim said.
He said that opposition parties were in disarray and finding it difficult to maintain their "artificial unity. "In PPP it is the Chairperson, who takes all decisions. It is she, who awards tickets to candidates. Whereas, in the PML (Q), I am the sole decision-maker at the provincial level and my decisions are acceptable to my party colleagues. This kind of devolution of power makes a party effective and functional. This spirit is non-existent in the PPP," he said.
Abab Rahim said that the demand of the PPP to suspend powers of the Nazims was flimsy as in 2002 elections, no such demand was made. "The PPP's demand is totally unacceptable," he added. He said that he would go to his electorate with the request for vote on the basis of his past three-and-half-years' work.
He counted all development work that was initiated during his tenure as chief minister and completed before he left the office of the chief minister. The entire electioneering of the PML (Q) was on the basis of performance, credibility of its minister and commitment to welfare of the people. "This we have done during our term in the office and this we will do when we are in power again," he concluded.
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