HYDERABAD, Jan 5 The leaders of Sanghar chapter of the Pakistan People's Party and candidates for national and provincial assembly seats on Saturday accused district administration and police of “unleashing a reign of terror” against party activists following the assassination of party chairperson Ms Benazir Bhutto.

Former provincial minister Abdul Salam Thaheem, a candidate for a provincial assembly, former senator Fida Hussain Dero, candidate for PS-82, Choudhry Abid Farooq, a candidate for PS-78, Abid Rind, a candidate for PS-79, said at a news conference at the press club that harassment and intimidation of party activists and supporters had crossed all limits.

Mr Thaheem said that the DPO of Sanghar, the DCO and the SHOs who were either followers of Pir Pagaro or had got posted on the recommendation of PML-F, had registered at least 50 FIRs against thousands of people on charges of being involved in the loot and plunder and acts of vandalism.

He accused that the police were forcing the arrested activists to take oath on the holy Quran to vote for the functional leaguers and get their names struck off from the FIRs.

Raids on the houses of party supporters had become a matter of routine and the lists of unidentified accused who had not been nominated in the FIRs were being provided by the district administration, he said.

Mr Thaheem said that party had sent complaints to the election commission and IGP of Sindh against the highhandedness of district administration and local police but without any results.

The brutal murder of Benazir Bhutto had so shocked the supporters and activists that they could never even think of torching government or private property or resorting to any act of vandalism, he said.

He put the blame on the party's political opponents and said that they took advantage of the situation because they knew that PPP would be blamed for acts of loot and plunder.

He argued that if party workers were involved in the crimes they should have spared the property and vehicles of their leaders. His own car and those of many others, which were parked outside his office were also set ablaze by the miscreants, he said.

He said that if the entire administration including the DPO, DCO and SHOs were not replaced no one could stop rigging in the Feb 18 elections. Even the local mukhtiarkars had been directed not to issue solvency certificates, which were necessary legal prerequisite for seeking bail for an accused, he said.

To a question, he said that at least 2,000 activists had been booked in Sanghar. Choudhry Abid Farooq said that the opponents of PPP were trying to fan ethnic riots in Sianghar where thousands of Punjabis were settled and referred to the statements of Chaudhry brothers in this regard.