Hidden forces conspiring against democracy: Zardari

* President says masses support PPP, will help it foil conspiracies against system
* Some forces want to limit PPP to Sindh

By Razzak Abro

KARACHI: Hidden forces are conspiring against democracy in the country, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday.

Presiding over a meeting of Sindh cabinet members belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the president said the people were aware of the conspiracies against the government and would support the PPP in foiling every attempt against the democratic system.

He said the party was not against any institution and respected the courts. However, President Zardari added, “The party will foil all these conspiracies with the support of the people.”

Restriction: He said the PPP was a federal party that had its roots in all provinces, but “some elements wanted to restrict it to Sindh only”.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro were also present in the meeting, which lasted three hours.

According to sources, the overall political situation was reviewed in the meeting and a consensus was reached on the decision that the party would start a mass contact campaign to counter all conspiracies against the party leadership and the democratic system.

Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri later told reporters that the president had said all decisions would be made in accordance with the law and the constitution.

Quoting the president, the provincial information minister said the PPP had neither confronted any institution in the past nor would it do so in the future.

She said the president told the meeting that the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award would be formally signed within the next few days, adding that implementation of the Aghaze Haqooqe Balochistan Package was also in progress.

The sources said some of the participants had asked the president to expedite efforts to resolve the issue of provincial autonomy. They were of the opinion that if the issue of provincial autonomy was resolved, it would be another feather in the PPP’s cap.

Meanwhile, official sources told Daily Times that the president would remain in the province for a few days. They said during the week-long stay, Zardari is expected to inaugurate development projects in Karachi, Hyderabad and Larkana. These projects include the recently developed Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park in Boat Basin area in Karachi. The sources said he was also likely to distribute Benazir Income Support Programme cards among eligible women in Larkana....LINK