New LG system in Sindh unacceptable: Nawaz

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said the new local government system imposed in Sindh by the government was unacceptable.

Talking to media persons at his residence in Raiwind after meeting Sindhi nationalist leaders, Nawaz said the local government ordinance in Sindh was aimed to divide the province. Supporting the Supreme Court order to recheck voters’ lists in Karachi, the PML-N chief said the government should act upon the orders of the apex court to conduct free and fair elections.

He said the parties mentioned by the Supreme Court for involvement in the Karachi unrest were enjoying and sharing rule with this government. “All of us will have to unite for the resolution of the Karachi problem,” he said.

He said as per the apex court order, the government did not take any action against the armed wings of political parties.“My party and the Sindh nationalist parties have the same ideology. They are as much Pakistanis as we are,” Nawaz added.

 He emphasized the need for consensus before building the Kalabagh Dam, adding that without harmony among the four provinces, this project would remain unfruitful. Nawaz said that people in Karachi seem frightened and worried amidst the ongoing unrest in the city. He expressed grief over the plight of the people living in Sindh.

The PML-N chief said President Asif Ali Zardari, in the very first year of his tenure, had stepped forward to paralyze the Punjab government but every attempt to weaken democracy was foiled.

 He said the PML-N is a national party and its presence in all the provinces is a symbol of unity.He said that the PPP and its allies are not sincere in restoring peace in Karachi as the coalition did not make any effort to de-weaponize the city.