BADIN/HYDERABAD/LARKANA: Two rival groups — heavily armed and emotionally charged — of the Pakistan Peoples Party came face to face in Tando Bago town of Badin district on Thursday, a day after Dr Zulfikar Mirza, once one of the most trusted lieutenants of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, poured scorn on the former president in a television interview accusing him of having run the country and the party like a business enterprise and patronising corrupt associates.

The pro-Zardari and pro-Mirza groups roamed the streets of Tando Bago and Talhar throughout the day — as if they were ready for a showdown. Although no clash took place and they withdrew from the streets of the two towns after dusk, the armed groups created a highly tense atmosphere.

Life in both towns remained paralysed.

Also read: Serious differences between Bilawal and Zardari: Mirza

Pro-Zardari activists of the party held rallies and demonstrations in almost all towns of Badin district, as well as in Hyderabad and Larkana, to condemn Dr Mirza’s outburst.

Undeterred, Dr Mirza repeated all his allegations against Mr Zardari when he spoke at a programme held in Tando Bago to remember Mir Ghulam Mohammed Khan Talpur on his 83rd death anniversary on Thursday.

Before his arrival at the venue, his enraged supporters had already taken to the streets of the town in protest against tearing off of Dr Mirza’s posters at various places allegedly by some pro-Zardari activists of the PPP.

Tension mounted when a large number of PPP activists raising pro-Zardari and anti-Mirza slogans arrived at the local press club in a rally from Talhar and both groups came face to face. The situation turned volatile and a clash looked imminent.

The pro-Zardari activists also held a sit-in on Tando Bago-Jhudo Road for more than six hours. Local PPP leaders told the media that Dr Mirza betrayed his mentor, Mr Zardari, by hurling baseless allegations at him.

More scorn

Speaking at the anniversary programme at Tando Bago Higher Secondary School, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, former home minister, paid tribute to Mir Ghulam Mohammed Khan Talpur and said he was better known as Khan Bahadur and ‘Lar jo Abbo (the father of lower Sindh).

After completing his speech on Mir Talpur, he turned to the PPP leadership and remarked that all except Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari were insincere with the masses.

“Asif Zardari, once my dearest friend, is totally surrounded by corrupt opportunists who are only compromising the blood of the slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto,” he said. Some of them, he added.

“If my friend [Mr Zardari] wants to serve the masses, I am ready to give away my own lands, Nawabshah, Tando Allahyar, Larkana, Mirpurkhas and others districts to Malik Riaz,” he said

Dr Mirza strongly condemned allotment of land for the construction of a university named after MQM chief Altaf Hussain. “Under a 40-60 formula, PPP leaders and terrorists had looted Sindh’s resources,” he remarked.

Dr Mirza said all those sitting in the Sindh Assembly, except for Jam Mahatab Ali and Syed Ali Nawaz Shah, were corrupt, inept and indifferent towards the issues and problems of people. In the PPP leadership, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is the only man of principle, he added.

He said he was extremely saddened over being removed as home minister for his sincere efforts to get Sindh rid of terrorists and landgrabbers but one day he would be able to serve the masses under the leadership of Bilawal and accomplish the mission, he said.

He announced that he would soon be visiting London along with his family members and upon return, would run a public mobilisation campaign against corrupt people. He termed [PPP leader in Badin] Sardar Kamal Khan Chang a ‘fake tribal chieftain’ and vowed to expose him and his associates soon.

PPP’s anti-Mirza rally

Sindh PPP vice president Maula Bukhsh Chandio, leading the participants in the anti-Mirza rally held on Thursday in Hyderabad, strongly condemned Dr Mirza’s televised outburst and said it would have been better if he opted for sorting out issues through talks with the top leadership.

Zahid Bhurgari, Amanullah Siyal, Sanam Talpur, Shabana Khan and others senior leaders were also present.

“It is disappointing to see [Dr] Mirza using such language against the PPP co-chairman,” he said, adding that differences could be there but criticism of this sort against the leadership would not be tolerated.

Mr Chandio, a former law minister, hinted that Dr Mirza might have been disturbed by the issues relating to the extradition of [Lyari gang warfare character] Uzair Baloch. He [Dr Mirza] would calm down if the issues were settled amicably, he guessed.

A similar rally was taken out in Larkana.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2015

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