MITHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that people have got sick of rampant corruption and rejected inept and corrupt rulers and his party after coming to power would get rid of all such elements.

Addressing a public gathering in Chhachhro on Saturday, Mr Qureshi said that like rest of the country Thar had changed and people of the desert region would overwhelmingly vote for the PTI in the next general elections and would not allow the Pakistan Peoples Party to rig elections as it had done in 2013.

Mr Qureshi said that both federal and provincial governments were taking credit of extraction of huge reserves of coal in Thar, but were tightlipped on provision of jobs and other facilities to the people living in the backward region.

He said that continuing deaths of the infants and pregnant women in Tharparkar were ample proof of the worst and corrupt governance. “Thar needs modern hospitals, safe drinking water, modern education system and other facilities which the PTI will provide to them,” he added.

Accuses Sharif of trying to put democratic system in danger

He said that he had spiritual relations with the people of Thar and would continue to come here and also contest elections.

He alleged that PPP MPA from Thar Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani had shifted his properties to India and was making a mockery of the votes of Tharis.

He said the PTI’s demand for general elections ahead of schedule was gaining momentum after the federal government had miserably failed and its writ was nowhere to be seen.

He said PTI chairman Imran Khan had got a clean chit from the apex court because he had done no wrong during his cricketing and political career but always brought pride for Pakistan.

He said disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif wanted to put the democratic system in danger since he no longer saw any future for him­self in the country’s politics.

He warned Mr Sharif against hurling threats at the judiciary and judges who had disqualified him on corruption charges. The PML-N chief, he said, had a habit of creating unnecessary confrontation with state institutions and always tried to pressure them.

The PTI leader lashed out at Asif Ali Zardari and the Sindh government for disobeying court orders to give fair prices to sugarcane growers. He said the chief justice of Pakistan had already expressed his disgust over government failure to even provide safe drinking water to the people of Sindh.

He thanked Pir Pagara, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Arbab Anwer and other leaders for sending their supporters to attend the mega event.

He said that people of Sarwari Jamaat headed by the Makhdooms of Hala also participated in the public meeting.

PTI leaders Lal Malhi, Haleem Adil Shaikh and others also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2017