KARACHI: Just two days after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government in the centre denied rumours circulating on social media regarding imposition of governor’s rule in provinces, provincial leaders of the party along with representatives of a few opposition parties on Tuesday demanded the same mode of governance for Sindh, calling the Pakistan Peoples Party-led administration a “failed and corrupt” one which no more deserved to stay in power.

The fresh blow in the already strained relations between the two parties emerged when Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani adjourned the provincial assembly’s session after summoning it for May 20 on the requisition of the opposition. The move sparked anger among the opposition parties and pushed the PTI to go the extra mile while criticising the ruling party in Sindh.

“Only a day after the Sindh Assembly session was called, it has been adjourned again,” said Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi of the PTI while addressing a press conference. “Agha Siraj Durrani is not the speaker of Sindh Assembly but the speaker of the PPP. We have called the meeting of opposition parties on Wednesday [today] to devise our strategy. The Sindh government has failed to perform duties in Sindh. That’s why we demand imposition of governor’s rule in the province.”

Firdous Naqvi says opposition to jointly plan next move today; PPP vows to resist ‘unconstitutional’ step

When asked about his thoughts on a move in which an elected government was removed and functions of the assembly were suspended, he said the Constitution had a provision for governor’s rule and it could not be called extra-constitutional.

“That’s a sheer propaganda to misguide the people,” he said. “Our Constitution covers all such moves and steps which are in larger interest of the people. Article 235 of the Constitution has given the right to the president to impose a financial emergency. The Sindh government has not spent a penny on welfare of the people which paves ways for governor’s rule,” he said.

Mr Naqvi made it clear that he was not alone, as he was representing all parties on the opposition benches in the Sindh Assembly and they all believed that the PPP government had lost all rights to stay in power.

“The Sindh government makes tall claims on media,” he said. “If the provincial government has really done a good job in fight against Covid-19, then tell this to the nation in assembly sessions. Why they are so afraid of facing the people’s representatives in the assembly? We appeal to the chief justice to take suo motu notice for not conducting the Sindh Assembly session.”

PTI’s parliamentary party leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, parliamentary party leader of the Grand Democratic Alliance Hasnain Mirza, Arif Jatoi, Khurram Sher Zaman and others were also present.

PPP reaction

The PPP government in Sindh reacted quickly to the PTI and opposition parties’ demand and warned that it would resist any “unconstitutional move” which attacked the people’s right to elect their representatives.

A key member of the provincial administration and senior leader of the party, Syed Nasir Shah, in a statement asked the opposition parties in Sindh to give up “illegal” demand and strengthen their connections with the masses.

“They don’t want development in Sindh and that was why they were talking about removing an elected government and imposing governor’s rule in the province,” said Sindh Information Minister Shah.

“The opposition should not talk like this because it’s not easy to impose governor’s rule in Sindh, and if this is done with force then consequences would be far reaching. The people of Sindh are with their constitutionally elected government and they would not tolerate any unconstitutional step.”

Only on Sunday, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz had vehemently denied the rumours circulating on social media regarding imposition of governor’s rule in the provinces.

Answering a question in Islamabad, he had said it was the propaganda of anti-state elements. The government was making a concerted effort to address the coronavirus outbreak and other issues, but some “evil elements” were trying to divert its attention by spreading such rumours, he had said.

However, the Sindh PTI’s aggressive presser seems to suggest the local leaders are taking a much harder line compared to their counterparts in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2020