Fahim won’t be named opposition leader: Shujaat

KARACHI: The ruling PM President, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, ruled out on Thursday the possibility of replacing MMA’s Maulana Fazalur Rahman with PPPP’s Makhdoom Amin Fahim as opposition leader in the National Assembly under a deal with the PPPP.

“We believe in national reconciliation, not in deal,” he said while talking to a group of journalists at a breakfast meeting in the house of Mushtaq Rahu, adviser to the Sindh chief minister.

“Why should we give away the Sindh government to the People’s Party,” he posed a counter-question when asked if the provincial government could go to the PPPP under its “deal” with the government. “Asif Zardari has gone out of the country under the government’s policy of dheel (latitude), not under any deal,” he said.

He explained that President Musharraf and the government wanted that all political parties should be united on national issues in the larger national interest. “Is it national interest that the opposition parties expect ministries,” he said.

He reiterated that the general elections would be held in 2007 and the aspirants should keep “their sherwanis on hold” and wait till 2007.

Answering a question, he said he didn’t talk to Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and the ruling MQM about alliance for local bodies elections. He said he visited the MQM headquarters Nine-Zero to know the factual position about Altaf Husain’s remarks on the two-nation theory and the founding fathers of Pakistan. He said there was misunderstanding on the issue because the MQM chief had not said anything in that context. “The MQM is our coalition partner, so I visited their headquarters to show solidarity,” he said.

He parried questions that when would he meet Pir Pagaro. He also avoided commenting on Federal Information Minister Shaikh Rashid’s statement published on Thursday that Asif Zardari would return to Pakistan and lead his party. He said he didn’t read Sheikh’s statement.

He said earnest efforts were being made to develop a consensus on the issue of Kalabagh Dam’s (KBD) construction. He, however, hastened to add that there was a consensus on the subject, but the media exaggerated the opponents’ version. “The people’s acceptance is necessary,” he said when asked if the Sindh government backed the KBD project.

When his attention was drawn to the unanimously adopted resolutions of three provincial assemblies against the KBD, he said the assemblies could as well adopt resolutions three or more times in support of the KBD. “We will get passed a comprehensive resolution before taking the final decision,” he said.

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