He was addressing the media at a dinner arranged by Awami National Party’s Sindh chief Shahi Syed’s residence, Mardan house here on Wednesday.

Mirza said that “if someone says that Afaq Ahmed is a criminal and a murderer, then I will say Altaf Hussain is a 100-times bigger criminal than Afaq.”

He said that he had met with Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqeeqi Chief Afaq Ahmed twice and that Ahmed was the real leader of the Urdu-speaking community. “The first time I met with Ahmed was when Dr Ishratul Ibad was still the governor and he pressured me not to reveal my meeting with Ahmed. I told Dr Ibad that I had to meet Ahmed since I am their minister”.

Mirza said that Ahmed was facing jail time without being convicted of a crime.

He said that he will continue his fight against criminals, murderers, and extortionist as long as he was alive.

Talking about calls for the division of Sindh, Mirza said that no one had the courage to divide Sindh. He said “I appeal to the people of Karachi and Hyderabad to get rid of these people (who are asking for Karachi to be made a separate province)”.

The former Home Minister of Sindh said that many statements using his name were circulating in the press and today he would clarify truth from fiction.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and the acting Governor of the province, Nisar Koro also spoke at the occasion. Both of them congratulated the people of Sindh and members of the provincial assembly for passing a bill to bring back the commissionarete system in the province.

Qaim ali Shah said that the bill had been passed following proper democratic procedure in the assembly and reflected the wishes of the people of Sindh.

He said “the commissionerate system had been implemented in all the provinces of the country however, the people of Sindh had been waiting for the system to be implemented in Sindh for the past two years. We were not bringing the system as our partners had been objecting to it hence the delay.”

Talking about the local bodies election Shah said that local bodies election are a democratic process and the PPP believed in it, however they will be held in accordance with situation in the province.

Shah also said that local bodies elections will no longer be conducted according the 2001 local government ordinance because there were coalition partners who did not like the local bodies to be held under that law. “We have revived the 1979 system as new law for the local bodies election and this new law could also be amended,” Shah added.

Zardari takes notice of Mirza’s statements

The Presidency issued a statement distancing itself from Zulfiqar Mirza’s outburst following a dinner meeting with the ANP.

According to reports, the Presidency said that Mirza’s statements did not reflect party policy.

Zardari said “we respect MQM chief Altaf Hussain,” while summoning a report on Mirza’s statements.

Meanwhile, former Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad called Zardari and strongly protested against Mirza’s statements.