Mirza comes down heavily on Interior Minister, demands ban on his entry into Sindh

Senior Sindh Minister Zulfiqar Mirza, known for his loud mouthing, on Monday came down heavily on Interior Minister Rehman Malik during Sindh Cabinet meeting which was chaired by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and reviewed the deteriorating situation in Karachi. Dr. Zulfikar Mirza strongly criticized the centre for its unnecessary interference in the affairs of Sindh. He asked Rehman Malik as to why he rushes to Karachi after every second day while maintenance of law and order is the responsibility of the Provincial Government. He demanded that a ban be placed on Interior Minister Rehman Malik's entry into Sindh and he should also not talk to any body in the province over telephone. Mirza also held Rehman Malik responsible for the prevailing situation in Karachi, saying the Interior Minister had brought back to Karachi the people he, as Sindh Home Minister, shifted to Interior Sindh. He leveled serious allegations against Rehman Malik and asked him not to act as spokesman of the MQM. He said he was not playing his role as an interior minister. He also blamed MQM for the deteriorating situation in Karachi. The senior provincial minister also criticized the centre for its unnecessary interference into affairs of Sindh. According to sources, Malik said that he would not come to Karachi if his arrival was disliked. The meeting was also attended by Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah. Sources said that the Provincial Leadership of the party was against constant interference of the Centre in their affairs giving an impression that they were incompetent and cannot handle the situation. Political observers told INP news Agency that the outburst of Mirza was in fact reflection of views of the entire Sindh Cabinet as it sees helpless when they receive dictation from the Centre. Sources said when Dr Zulfikar Mirza did not stop in leveling allegations against Rehman Malik, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah intervened and after a lot of effort he was able to calm down the situation. Speaking on this occasion, Prime Minister Gilani stressed that it was time for the Sindh government to act against miscreants. "Someone else will take action if the provincial government doesn't crackdown on suspects", Gilani added.

ePaper - Nawaiwaqt