Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has castigated the opposition in Sindh Assembly for playing politics on non-issues. Addressing a press conference at his Sindh Assembly Chamber here on Wednesday.
Arbab Ghulam Rahim pointed out that it has always been a practice that opposition would requisition the Assembly session when there were important issues to discuss.
Such sessions, he said, are summoned in adding to sessions summoned by the government with an agenda, but the present opposition had made it a matter of routine to requisition session every fourth day. He referred to the resolution which leader of the opposition, Nisar Khuhro wanted to move in the House to pay tributes to late Prime Minister Z A Bhutto.
Dr Arbab said that it was allright if the House offers Fateha Khawani for departed souls, but why the PPP did not move such resolutions when it was in power in 1988 and 1996.
The PPP, he said, is suffering from "cold fever" today on the issue of courts, but it was no less a person than Benazir Bhutto who used to describe courts as Kangaroo Courts. They were against the courts at that time and even today they are attacking courts and barring them from holding hearing of cases.
The chief minister reminded that the decision about late Bhutto was taken by the courts, the very courts, which are now dealing with the reference. He said that when PPP was in power it never passed a resolution against Bhutto's hanging and Benazir never reopened that case for re-trial even when she was in power.
He said that the former Chief Minister Sindh Syed Abdullah Shah had submitted written pardon and which was under government consideration. He added when Mr Shah was chief minister, did not allow the release of G M Syed and Rahim Hingoro until they were dead. But present government has shown grace and did not stop him from going to courts to get bail before arrest although there are genuine cases against him on humanitarian ground and his extent of sickness.
Dr Arbab recalled that it was Nisar Khuhro who distributed sweets on rejoiced Mr Bhutto's hanging and today he is moving resolutions to discuss court decisions.
He also referred to opposition's protest on court reference and said they are not united on this issue which is evident from separate protest demonstrations by PPP, Jamaat Islami, PML(N), Tehreek Insaf. He said that Benazir Bhutto did not want to take side with the "Maulvis" because she wanted to portray herself as a secular. The opposition, he said, wanted a reversal of constitutional matter for which the public response to them is "zero".