THATTA: Amid growing discontent within Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh over the issue of tickets, several more stalwarts in Thatta, Badin and Larkana on Sunday raised their voice against turncoats.

They expressed the apprehension that such elements could ditch the party any time and cause political damage to it.

Speaking at a press conference at Sony Mundi House in Thatta, three founder members of the party’s local chapter -- Babu Ghulam Hussain (a four-time MNA), Abdul Wahid Soomro (a former MNA and MPA) and Aijaz Ali Khuwaja (a former member of PPP Sindh council) -- warned that the Shirazi group had never proved their loyalty to the party for a long time and did not deserve to be taken into the party fold any more.

They severely criticised Ali Hassan Zardari, said to be a cousin of PPP-Parliamentarian president Asif Ali Zardari, for brokering a deal between the Shirazis and PPP leadership without considering the past experiences.

Accompanied by several other die-hard PPP activists from Thatta and Sujawal including Hassan Ali Zangyani, Haroon Hullani, Hameer Sarki and Haji Ghulam Hussain Shoro the stalwarts predicted that all turncoats who had been awarded party tickets in the two districts would betray the PPP. “These opportunists have a track record of switching political loyalty,” they said.

They said that the awarding of party tickets to Shirazis had offended most of PPP’s die-hard activists like them in the two districts.

Babu Ghulam Hussain said that he and his long time party colleagues had proved their sincerity and loyalty by remaining with the party through thick and thin since 1969. “Still we are with the party under its present leadership but this time we are asked to accept those who are part and parcel of the forces that implicated no fewer than 60,000 PPP workers in false cases registered after the 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto,” he said.

He pointed out that a person belonging to Nawabshah had been given a party ticket to contest on the Mirpur Sakro constituency “just because of his relationship with the party chairman”.

Referring to his political standing, Babu said the PPP leadership entrusted him with a party ticket four times which was a great honour for him but he also proved himself worthy of selection by defeating political heavy weights of their times like Awami Tehreek (AT) founder Rasool Bakhsh Palijo, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) chief Dr Qadir Magsi and Shirazi group leader Aijaz Ali Shah Shirazi.

Babu warned the PPP leadership against being carried away by tricky talks of turncoats and opportunists. “They are doing nothing but serving vested interests to cause harm to PPP,” he said.The PPP stalwarts urged the PPP chairman to review his decision of awarding tickets to the Shirazis and such other turncoats for the sake of the party and justice with all time loyal activists.

LARKANA: Engineer Saifullah Abro, who was declined a PPP ticket on Saturday evening announced his intention to contest on the NA-201 and PS-12 as an independent candidate against PPP’s Khursheed Junejo and former home minister Suhail Anwar Siyal, respectively.

Speaking at a press conference at his residence, Abro levelled serious allegations against Siyal and described him as plunderer. “He [Siyal] had not only deceived the people of Larkana but he is also responsible for the devastation of this city ... using government machinery, Siyal encouraged corruption ... he badly damaged and paralysed the government machinery for personal gains,” alleged Abro.

In reply to a question, he said [PPP chairman] Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari he fully [Abro’s] leader and, therefore, he could not afford to oppose his leadership. However, he said, he would not withdraw in favour of Siyal even if the top party leadership asked him to do so.

In this context he referred to a similar situation in Naushahro Feroze where Dr Sikandar Shoro along with his friend Abdul Haq Bhurt was contesting as an independent candidate while Sharafun Nissa Leghari in Dadu and Mahars of Ghotki had also decided to contest as independent candidates.

He accused Siyal of the “mess in the distribution of party tickets”, and asked what had compelled Siyal to contest from PS-12 by abandoning his own PS-13 constituency. “I know Siyal switched to PS-12 after realising that he is a weak candidate for PS-13,” Abro claimed.

Replying to a question about possibility of seat adjustment or offering an olive branch to his opponent Syed Akbar Shah Rashidi of the Grand Democratic Alliance on PS-12, Abro said it was premature to say something about it.

MITHI: Prolonged efforts by senior PPP leaders from Tharparkar to agree on the candidates for the NA-221, PS-57 and PS-65 seats could not bear fruit till Sunday evening.

Faqeer Sher Mohammad Bilalani, Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, Dr Khatu Mal Jeewan, Arbab Lutufallah and several other aspirants for the party ticket have been summoned to Karachi again to help the top leadership take a final decision.

Bilalani has reportedly refused to follow the leadership’s directive to withdraw his candidature in favour of Dr Malani on PS-56. He intends to contest as an independent candidate if denied the party ticket.

Another aspirant, Abdul Ghani Khoso, the close aide to the Makhdooms of Hala, has not been invited to the consultation by the party leadership. Khoso, the former taluka nazim of Nagarparkar, also intends to contest on PS-55 against PPP ticket-holder Qasim Siraj Soomro if not obliged by the party leadership.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2018