LARKANA: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Sindh president Senator Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on Monday visited Sujawal Tunio village near Bakrani town to offer his condolences to the family of Maj Saeed Ahmed Tunio, the pilot of the army helicopter that had crashed in Winder, Balochistan, on August 1. Six army officers had embraced martyrdom in the incident.

Other PPP leaders including Abdul Fatah Bhutto, Shakeel Memon and Amin Shaikh were accompanying Mr Khuhro.

Later, speaking to the media the Senator condemned the regretful campaign on social media in the wake of the chopper crash. He fully supported the calls for immediate legal action against all those involved in the propaganda against the state and its institutions. He regretted that the propaganda was resorted to while the entire nation was in deep distress over the tragedy. He acknowledged that the institution of army had always been on the forefront and played its due role in difficult times.

Mr Khuhro also commented on former prime minister Imran Khan’s politics and criticised him for “instigating youth to adopt a wrong path”. This would give birth to disturbance, he apprehended, and advised Mr Khan to “stop poisoning youths’ minds and exploiting them for his personal gains”.

‘Imran Khan cannot escape disqualification after ECP’s foreign funding case decision’

The PPP leader claimed that fissures had emerged within PTI over its leadership. “There are many candidates in PTI for the slot of prime minister and one of them is [former foreign minister] Shah Mehmood Qureshi,” he further claimed.

A day earlier, the PPP leader held a press conference here to explain his party’s views with regard to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision against PTI in foreign funding case. Mr Khuhro said Imran Khan was facing disqualification after the ECP decision and now seeking “NRO from political leadership of the ruling coalition [at the centre].

“Imran Khan is sending messages to the political leadership and seeking to spare himself from action,” alleged Mr Khuhro.

“How could he be granted NRO now when foreign funding against him has been proved?” he argued, and expressed his confidence that Mr Khan would not escape disqualification.

When leaders like Khwaja Nazimuddin, Ayoub Khuhro, Qazi Fazlullah, Pir Illahi Bakhsh, Hussain Shaheed Suharwardi and others could be disqualified than why not Imran Khan, he further argued.

The PPP Senator noted that some PTI lawmakers were tendering their resignations while some others were sending their leave applications.

Mr Khuhro alleged that millions of rupees had been deposited in the accounts of President Dr Arif Alvi, former Sindh governor Imran Ismail and other PTI leaders. President Alvi should step down and face the investigation, he said.

He also pointed out that President Alvi and Imran Khan gave contradictory statements about alleged “directions” leading to the successful no-trust move against PTI government. “It proves that Mr Khan’s claim of US conspiracy was a lie,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2022