CM cannot work as persecutor, judge simultaneously: Imtiaz CM Sindh Arbab vows to root out corruption KARACHI, February 26 (Online): Rejecting the fresh allegations of confiscation of government lands leveled by the Sindh Chief Minister for his expulsion from the cabinet, the former Provincial Minister for Revenue and Political Affairs, Imtiaz Shaikh has said that the chief minister cannot act as the prosecutor and the judge simultaneously. " I have been totally complying with the cease-fire on the directives of the party's high command, but this is the chief minister who has continuously been violating it", Mr Shaikh said while addressing a press conference at the chamber of Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly after attending the assembly session on Friday. Rebutting the chief minister's charge regarding confiscation of 600-acre land in Ghotki, he said if Arbab Rahim had any proof in this regard, then he (Arbab) must sent a reference against him. He said he or his father had never acquired 600-acre land in Ghotki, instead, he said, it was 172-acre land which had been bought by his father after fulfilling all rules and regulations in 1992. He admitted that the court had passed an order against his father and asked him to vacate the land, which he did immediately. " If the land is in my possession, then he (Arbab) is the chief minister. He should send the police and vacate it," he added. He observed that Dr Arbab Rahim was hurling allegations in the air, and had no proofs to justify them. " The motive behind my expulsion and the ongoing character assassination campaign is personal vendetta. Arbab has always been afraid of me because of his own incompetence," he alleged. Mr Shaikh opined that the chief minister should resign and provide a level-playing field to him (Shaikh) with a view to ensuring dispensation of justice. ." We too have proofs of corruption committed by the chief minister and his brother Arbab Abdullah, which we have handed over to the Prime Minister's Inspection Team", Imtiaz said adding " we are fully satisfied with the investigation process being conducted by the cell, but the chief minister is not happy with that". To a question as regards formation of a like-minded group within the ruling party, he said he was the provincial secretary general of the party, and was bound to oblige party discipline He said his expulsion from the cabinet was aimed at weakening the party in Sindh, and damaging its campaign for the forthcoming local bodies elections. " If he (chief minister) has sacked me on the charges of corruption, then he should not forget that he has also been charged with women smuggling, setting up of private jails and masterminding the murder of a journalist in Thar in near past", he added. " If he (chief minister) justifies my resignation on the basis of so-called charges against me, then first he should resign on the said charges against him"" he said. Mr Shaikh said the charges against him were baseless and devoid of truth as he had not allotted even a single inch of government land to any individual or group. This, he said, had been the purview of either the chief minister or the city government. Imtiaz asks Arbab to quit as CM Sindh Former Sindh Revenue Minister Imtiaz Sheikh while terming Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim ineligible said that Chief Minister cannot play dual role simultaneously as a prosecutor and Judge, therefore he (CM) should tender resignation forthwith in the larger provincial interests. He expressed these views here Friday after the assembly session while talking to media-people at deputy Speaker Chamber. "Abiding by party's high ups directives I ceased speaking against the Chief Minister but Arbab Ghulam Rahim did not stop levelling charges against me that's why I am left with no option to defend myself," Imtiaz Sheikh while referring to his press conference against CM, said. "All these are concocted and baseless allegations levelled by Chief Minister that I have occupied 600 acres land at Ghotki rather my father has purchased 172 acres land at Ghotki after fulfilling legal formalities prior to purchasing the land," he remarked. He however, admitted that court had directed his father to vacate the land and if the land was in his occupation then Arbab Ghulam Rahim was the Chief Minister at that time and he (CM) should have taken action to get the land vacated. Chief Minister is speaking against me without proof, he said, adding that Arbab had an imminent fear regarding his inability. He demanded of Chief Minister to resign forthwith in the larger national and provincial interest and allow another member to serve as Chief Minister. Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said he will continue his ongoing campaign to root out corruption from the province even at the cost of chief ministership. "There will be no room for corrupt people in General Pervez Musharraf's regime. I am following him and will continue my struggle against corruption even at the cost of chief ministership", Arbab said while addressing a press conference in his chamber after Sindh Assembly session on Friday. He said if any other minister was guilty of corruption and misuse of authority, he would not merely be expelled from the cabinet but would be taken to task. Commenting on the intervention of federal government on the expulsion of Revenue Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, the chief minister said " Someone admits or not, General Pervez Musharraf is the real ruler of the country because he had brought all of us into the power. His statement in my favour has already settled down the issue, however the federal government and the party leadership have the right to seek explanation from me on any issue". He said if the federal government could impose governor rule in the provinces and dissolve the provincial assemblies, then it could also ask the chief minister on any issue. Leveling another allegation on Imtiaz Shaikh, he said the ousted minister and his brother had been occupying 600-acre government land in Ghotki district despite court orders. He said the respective land had been transferred in the name of Imtiaz Shaikh's father in 1992 during Nawaz Sharif's first stint, but later the government had moved to the court, which passed a judgment in its favour. However, he added, the Shaikh brothers despite court's clear-cut orders, were not ready to vacate the land. To a question regarding progress in investigations being conducted by the Sindh Anti Corruption Department, the chief minister said the inquiries were underway but he was not in position to say something specific in this regard because more cases of corruption committed by Imtiaz Shaikh was coming on surface. He said that Imtiaz Shaikh had transferred 400-acre government land worth Rs 14 crore in the name of a resident of Shikarpur, Abdul Latif at the cost of Rs 7 lakh only. He said he was not merely hurling the allegations, but he had all the proofs. Rejecting the claim of the wife of an under-arrest revenue department official, Abdul Hafeez Shoro as regards police torture, the chief minister said " She is his wife, and understandably she considers him not-guilty but I want to ask whether a thief or murderer admits his crime". Denouncing the opposition's attitude during the assembly session, he said the opposition was not serious to run its own requisitioned session. " Opposition is wasting its and government's time and money. It is my discretion to expel any cabinet member, and that I did. Now, I don't understand why opposition is worrying about that", he maintained. He brushed aside the impression that there was any political crisis in Sindh following the ouster of Imtiaz Shaikh saying " The Sindh government is strong and facing no trouble in running the business". Earlier, Amid a noisy protest on the part of opposition members who were not allowed by the chair to discuss the expulsion of Sindh revenue Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, the Sindh Assembly session was adjourned on Friday by Speaker Syed Muzzaffer Hussein Shah just 45 minutes after its commencement. The session began at 10:30 PM, an hour late of the scheduled time, with Syed Muzzaffer Hussein Shah in the chair. After Recitation from Holy Quran and Naat, the speaker named Mohammed Hussein (MQM), Naseer Khoso (PPP-Patriot), Irfan Gul Magsi (PML-F), and Dr Skindar Mandro (PPP-Parliamentarians) for the panel of chairmen for the current session. Soon after Fateha, the Opposition Leader Nisar Khuhro raised a point of order seeking condonement of Rule-211 to discuss the expulsion of Imtiaz Shaikh as, he thought, the counter allegations leveled by Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Imtiaz Shaikh had created a political crisis in the province. As Khuhro was at his feet, the Sindh Law Minister Chaudry Iftikhar and Minister for Mines and Minerals, Irfanullah Marwat got to their feet and started talking simultaneously. Following them, the opposition members also rose to their seats and started talking at a time, turning the house into a fish market. At this stage, the speaker, who managed to solace the angry MPAs, instead of exercising his prerogative, decided to put the matter before the house and asked the Sindh Law Minister to explain government's view point. Chaudry Iftikhar contested the Khuhro's contention saying there was no political crisis in the province as the expulsion of Imtiaz Shaikh was part of the democratic process. He said it was the discretion of the chief minister to induct or oust any MPA from the provincial cabinet. He recalled that in 1989, the then Chief Minister and incumbent PPP Sindh President Syed Qaim Ali Shah, had been replaced by Aftab Shabaan Mirani through a political process. .Khuhro rejected the law minister's observation saying the matter was not as simple as the chief minister and the expelled minister had leveled serious allegations of corruption, misuse of authority, and women smuggling on each other. Therefore, it was the right of the elected representative and the people of Sindh to be aware of the reality. Irfanullah Murwat and Chaudry Iftikhar backed by other treasury MPAs once again got to their feet and started blaming opposition for adopting a non-serious attitude. The opposition MPAs paid the treasury benches in the same coin and hurled counter allegations on the government. At this stage, the house turned out to be a pandemonium as over a dozen MPAs were speaking at a time. The speaker, however, issues warning to the opposition MPAs saying they had requested the session but they were not serious to run the house. But, the speaker failed to control the situation and adjourned the session till Monday. It is pertinent to mention that Revenue Minister Imtiaz Sheikh attended the assembly proceedings but remained quiet. While the Chief minister did not attend the session. End.