PPP, ANP, MQM oppose military deployment in Sindh
KARACHI: The three main parties of the outgoing coalition government have rejected the call to bring in the Army in Sindh in the wake of increasing terrorist attacks targeting political parties.
At the All-Parties Conference held Monday by the Sindh caretaker government, the Awami National Party (ANP), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) did not support the call for deployment of the military after a recent surge in violence against election campaigners.
At least 17 of the 22 attending political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), Muslim League – Functional (PML-F), Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), had demanded for Army troops to be deployed at sensitive polling stations in the province during the coming elections.
Haleem Adil Sheikh, belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid (PML-Q) initiated the meeting talking about the need for free and fair elections adding that that the deteriorating security situation was not helping the cause.
Jamaat-i-Islami’s (JI) Mohammad Hussain Mehenti criticised the government and security agencies for failing to provide security and demanded that the army be called in.
An electoral code of conduct with regards security during the upcoming elections was presented during the meeting which was signed by the attending parties.
According to the code, political parties are barred from hoisting their party flags at any public property.
The approved code of conduct also limited the use of loudspeakers to election meetings only whereas election candidates and their supporters were restrained from making provocative speeches against their rivals at during public gatherings, rallies and polling.
The political parties would also require approval for conducting rallies which would only be allowed to proceed through designated routes.
Election candidates are also barred from erecting canvases within 400 metres of polling stations.
The signed document states that it is the responsibility of the local administration to ensure that no rally is allowed in a locality where another rally was already scheduled.
The meeting was attended by provincial home secretary, additional chief secretary of home department, Inspector General Sindh police and Director General Rangers Karachi.
The 22 political parties participating in the APC include mainstream parties such Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) , Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) , JI , Awami National Party(ANP) , Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), PML-Q, PML-Functional, PPP-Shaheed Bhutto, Mohajir Qaumi Movement - Haqiqi (MQM-H), Sunni Tehrik (ST), Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam - Fazl (JUI-F), Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), Majlis Wahadat Muslimeen, Muttahida Deeni Mahaz, All Pakistan Muslim League (APML)
Moreover, nationalist parties such as the Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMap), Sindh United Party (SUP), Awami Tehreek, Sindh Taraqi-passand Party and Qaumi Tehrik also took part in the meeting.