Dissolution of local bodies

Sindh government is likely to appoint administrators for holding local bodies’ elections within 90 days in consultation with its coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).Talking to journalists at Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Tuesday, Sindh Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Mohammed Ayaz Soomro said that Pakistan People’s Party wanted to revive LB system of 1979 but their coalition partner (MQM) has reservations over it. He promised that a “consensus bill” would be brought before Sindh Assembly to bring “changes” in the system.He pointed out that Balochistan and Punjab wanted to appoint administrators for one year while NWFP intended to appoint the administrators for indefinite period. He, however, added that Sindh was in favour of appointing administrators for a period of 90 days. He said that MQM has its own point of view about the LB system and they (PPP) respected it, adding, some contentious issues have been left to the chief minister and the governor Sindh to resolve them.Ayaz Soomro said that the Sindh Assembly session on Wednesday (today) would be adjourned after offering Fateha for provincial minister Abdul Jalil Memon, who recently died in a road accident in Thatta. He said that the legislation work would be taken up in the PA session on Thursday (tomorrow) and disclosed that chief minister Sindh has taken notice of some legislators who used to come late at the session.He said that judges’ vacancies in Sindh High Court would be filled on merit and in consultation with chief minister and governor Sindh. “We do not want to clash with judiciary,” he said, adding that the government would implement Supreme Court’s judgment on National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). He pointed out that it was the PPP government that gave vehicles and other facilities to judges.Condemning the death of a maid Shazia Masih in Lahore allegedly at the hands of a lawyer, the minister regretted the lawyers’ “undesirable” attitude meted out to the journalists covering the appearance of the accused lawyer before the court in Lahore. He urged the Pakistan Bar Council to take up deceased Shazia’s case and wondered as to why NGOs were not coming forward to help the aggrieved family.Talking about the performance of PPP government during the last two years, the law minister said that better law and order, provision of jobs and launching uplift schemes were the three main priorities of their government.He said that a network of roads has been laid in the province whose impact was “visible”. He said that the government has brought investment for utilizing Thar coal reserves where two power plants were being established, with each project generating 60,000 jobs. Besides, he added, efforts were being made to provide drinking water in Thar.He said that 1,000 law officers have been recently appointed in the province through Sindh Public Service Commission and on contract basis.Soomro lamented that the previous regime had subjected Larkana to discriminatory attitude because it happens to be the hometown of slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto. He said that the present government has given internal and external roads of Larkana to National Highway Authority for developing the same, besides a daily PIA flight has been started from Karachi to Moen-jo-Daro.He said that a “unique” university to be named after Benazir Bhutto would be constructed in Larkana and the land for this purpose has been reserved at Baqrani Road. He further said that the provincial government would establish lawyers and journalists’ colony in each district and district coordination officers have been asked to allocate lands for the purpose.