Rabbani terms Centre’s interference in Sindh affairs ‘illegal’

ISLAMABAD: Former Senate Chairman Senator Mian Raza Rabbani termed the interference of federal government in the affairs of the province of Sindh under the garb of the deteriorating law and order situation as unlawful and unconstitutional and said that law and order is a provincial subject under the Constitution, 1973.

“This step against the province of Sindh shows the open biased of the federal government towards a provincial government which belongs to the opposition,” he said while commenting on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision of sending of Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to take notice of increasing lawlessness in Sindh.

Rabbani said the two alleged sources, as named in the media, belong to Karachi and have a vested interest in heightening tension between the federation and the province. He said the federal government will be well advised to follow the Constitution in letter and spirit, as it cannot afford political destabilisation with cracks appearing in its federal and provincial parliamentary party.

Rabbani said that it would be recalled that in the very recent past, the province of Punjab was paralysed by demonstrations of the TLP. “Police officers and personnel were kidnapped and made hostage,” he said. He said the government and private property and vehicles were ransacked and burnt. “Over 500 law enforcing personnel were seriously wounded and a number of them were killed by the demonstrators,” he said.

Rabbani said Punjab, for nearly a week, was in state of total anarchy and mobs ruled the streets. “The writ of the provincial government had ceased to exist,” he said. He said there was an uncomfortable silence of the federal government, such double standards, which violate the Constitution, do not augur well for the federation.