Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Monday paid tribute to his party's founder and former premier Z A Bhutto for being the architect of the 1973 Constitution. However, the opposition in the Sindh Assembly alleged the ruling PPP of "corruption" and 'plunder".
During a debate on a resolution tabled by Sindh Senior Education Minister Nisar Khuhro to mark the 'Constitution Day', the Chief Minister said that the PPP's co-chairman was the one who had expelled former military chief Pervez Musharraf from the President House through a strategy. Qaim defended Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani's call for omitting Article 6 from the Constitution, saying that his party stalwart's statement just reflected his anger. "Article 6 was the PPP's trump card that was played to defend the Constitution from being defaced," he added.
The Chief Minister observed that there was no concept of a country without Constitution. Qaim lauded Z A Bhutto for the 1973 Constitution, saying that it enshrined Islamic values and secured provincial self-governance. "I am one of the signatories of the Constitutions," he told the house and said that "Pakistan's Constitution is better than that of India, as it is Islamic, democratic, federal and parliamentary as well". Zardari strengthened provincial autonomy with 18th Constitutional Amendment, he said, and defended his party's co-chairman for taking oath from a military ruler after securing majority in 2008 polls.
He said it was Zardari's strategy to throw out Musharraf from the president house. He further said that the military dictators had put the 1973 Constitution in abeyance but the PPP made struggle to restore it. However, PML-F lawmaker Nusrat Sehar Abbasi slammed the PPP government for failing to provide basic facilities to the people. "Bhutto provided the Constitution but what is his party doing now?" she question. PPP's lawmakers Dr Abdul Sattar Rajpar, Dr Sikandar Shoro, Dr Sohrab Sarki, Gazala Siyal and Imdad Ali Pitafi gave hard hitting response to offset the impact of Abbasi's speech. A clash of words was also witnessed between Abbasi and Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza over the issue.