The Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) has refused to leave its portfolios in the Sindh cabinet and threatened the Pakistan People’s Party’s Sindh government of sitting in the opposition if its ministries were taken away.
“The PPP always changes its stance. If the ministries of our party are taken back, we will talk to President Asif Ali Zardari because our agreement is with him not Qaim Ali Shah. It is not possible to use us and throw us away like tissue paper,” said PML-F chief Pir Pagara while talking to reporters after meeting his party’s provincial ministers at Kingri House on Saturday.
He said the government knows very well that if the PML-F was not in the coalition, the PPP would face a difficult time. Pagara said any person who replaced Qaim Ali Shah would be welcome. He said there was no future for criminals in the MQM, but there was a future for educated and peaceful people. Pagara said he did not accept the nazim system in the province, as it has failed and his party supported the magistracy.
To a question, Pagara said the Supreme Court did not issue any verdict but only gave suggestions on the situation in Karachi.
“It is mandatory for the judiciary to issue a verdict not suggestions,” he added. Earlier, Minister for Youth Affairs Jam Madad Ali, Minister for Auqaf Rafiq Banbhan, Mines and Minerals Minister Imamud Din Shouqeen and Adviser to CM on Information Technology (IT) Imtiaz Shaikh met Pagara at the Kingri House.
They informed him about their meeting with the Sindh chief minister, telling the PML-F chief that the chief minister asked them to vacate the ministries as they belonged to the MQM. They said Shah did not give the details of alternative ministries, saying the issue would be decided later. In response, Pagara decided that the PML-F would quit the Sindh government and sit on opposition benches in the Sindh Assembly if the ministries were taken away.
The meeting observed that Qaim Ali Shah was a traditional opponent of Pagara, as both belonged to Khairpur district. On the other hand, the PPP has started changing portfolios of party ministers. Sources said the portfolio of Shazia Marri would be changed again and the Ministry of Power and Electricity might be handed over to MQM. Shazia would likely be asked to take charge of Sindh Information and Archives Ministry, relieving Sharjeel Memon of the responsibility.