MITHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf vice chairman Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, announcing an accord with the Peoples Muslim League (PML) for seat adjustment in Tharparkar for the July 25 general election, said that the PTI and its allies would hand a humiliating defeat to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh and all other parties in the rest of the country.

He was speaking at separate gatherings of his followers and supporters in Mithi and Umerkot on Monday.

Addressing PTI workers and followers of his Ghousia Jamaat at the residence of rights activist Krishan Sharma, Mr Qureshi said his rival PPP candidate on NA-222 Noor Mohammed Shah Jilani would suffer a humiliating defeat in the election.

“PTI will not only sweep elections in Punjab, Khyber Pakht­unkhwa and Balochistan, but will also bag many of the Sindh Ass­embly seats by defeating PPP’s and other parties’ candidates,” he said.

He expressed his pleasure over PTI’s accord with PML led by former chief minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, and said PPP would be routed in Thar. He said PTI would never enter into a coalition with the PPP or PML-N at the Centre or in any province.

“Both these parties comprise corrupt and incompetent people with whom PTI could not sit to form a government,” he said.

He appreciated the people of Nagarparkar for fielding a local candidate, Abdul Ghani Khan Khoso, after the PPP leadership imposed an outsider, Qasim Siraj Soomro, on the voters of PS-55.

Mr Qureshi held PPP responsible for the famine-like situation and starvation in the Thar region and the ruination of civic infrastructure of the province over the past decade.

“The PPP rulers are also responsible for the unabated deaths of infants and expecting mothers as well as the worst-ever water crisis in the desert region and other parts of Sindh,” he said.

He said PTI might talk to the MQM-P leadership on forming a coalition but there was no decision yet on such talks with the Pak Sarzameen Party.

Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim also spoke at the gathering where Lal Malhi, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vank­wani, Arbab Anwar Jabbar and several leaders of the Grand Demo­cratic Alliance (GDA) were present.

UMERKOT: At another big gathering at Allahwala Chowk in Umerkot, he urged the voters of the constituency to reject all those whose policies led the people of Sindh to commit suicide due to starvation and unemployment. He said such a situation was the result of corruption, favouritism, injustice and nepotism on the part of the PPP government.

Mr Qureshi said people should choose between such elements and change if they want to get rid of their miseries.

He warned his party’s opponents against indulging in rigging this time and said: “We will not resort to violence [if rigging was witnessed] but we will also not remain peaceful if the other side turned violent”.

PPP men, village elders join PTI

DADU: Eight Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) activists heading their respective villages announced to join the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) along with around 5,000 of their supporters and tribesmen at a public gathering held in the village of Bothro in Mehar taluka on Monday.

At the gathering presided over by senior politician and PTI leader Liaquat Ali Jatoi, those who joined the PTI were identified as Abdul Sattar Kandhro, Dr Nazeer Kandhro, Ayoob Gorar, Siraj Gorar, Gulzar Ahmed Shaikh, Shahnawaz Mallah, Meer Mallah and Amir Mallah.

They announced to support PTI candidates in general elections 2018.

Speaking on the occasion, Liaquat Jatoi said the people of Sindh were joining the PTI by showing their trust in Imran Khan. He said the PTI was one of the parties in the country which would restore basic rights to people.

He said the PPP could not deliver to the masses in past 10 years and people were changing their loyalties while joining the PTI. He said the PTI would control corruption, and improve health and education sectors and infrastructure of towns.

He appealed to other people to join the PTI as they could bring about change in the public sphere.

Others who also spoke included Karim Ali Jatoi, PTI candidate for NA-235 (Dadu-Johi); Sardar Ashiq Ali Zour, PTI candidate for PS-85; Dr Khalil Sikandar Khunharo; Waqar Khan Kamangar; Ayoob Khoso; Haji Abdul Latif Arain; advocate Zulfiqar; Dr Ghulam Abbas Mahisar and Niaz Buriro.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2018