HYDERABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarian (PPP-P) information secretary Maula Bux Chandio has questioned inadequate security arrangements for the party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari during his visit to Lyari which is a sensitive area and said it indicates ineptness on the part of caretaker government.

He called upon state institutions to take notice of laxity in security and address the issue because the party leadership faced security threats and its chairman was neither an ordinary citizen nor an ordinary leader.

He was speaking at a press conference here on Sunday along with Sahibzada Abul Khair Mohammad Zubair, president of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Noorani, where the party leaders announced seat adjustment between PPP and JUP-Noorani on NA-227, PS-66 and PS-67.

Mr Chandio said that anti-PPP and anti-democracy forces were active in the area where a mob pelted convoy of PPP chairman with stones. If the situation persisted it would be disastrous for Pakistan as well as for electoral process, he said.

He said the caretaker government was being brought under pressure with the result that inadequate security arrangements were made for the party chairman’s visit.

He said that when PML-Q, which had been created in broad daylight, could not benefit anyone how a secretly cobbled together Q-League could achieve results for someone.

He said that PPP was neither scared nor weak but it just wanted political forces to show harmony. PML-N had hurled abuses at institutions but PPP never talked about institutions, he said.

Mr Chandio said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership and Shahbaz Sharif were trying to harm Sindh.

He said that Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s statement indicated that the country’s reins were being handed over to someone else and Shahbaz Sharif wanted to get some relief by speaking against his brother.

Mr Zubair said that he had withdrawn papers of his son Faiz Mahmood in favour of PPP’s Chaudhry Manzoor in Kasur, Punjab, and pulled out of race against two PPP candidates Saghir Qureshi and Mukhtiar Dhamra alias Aajiz Dhamra on PS-66 and PS-67, respectively. He had defeated Muttahida Qaumi Movement candidate in the constituency in 2002, he said.

Mr Chandio hailed the seat adjustment and said the two parties would jointly contest polls.

He said without naming Grand Democratic Alliance that some forces wanted to sneak into power corridors through backdoor and claimed that polling time had been extended to fulfill one individual’s desires.

‘It’s first time PML-N contesting polls without support of institutions, Taliban’

Mr Chandio said earlier on Saturday that it would be for the first time that PML-N would be contesting election without support of any institution or Taliban but PPP had always fought polls on the basis of its own strength and peoples’ support.

He said the PPP would make inroads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in general election and only time would tell who had been supporting the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

He said the PPP did not like to see Maryam Nawaz running from pillar to post like Benazir Bhutto who was not allowed even to attend funeral of her father.

He said the PPP did not support any particular institution but it appreciated the organisation which produced positive results. If democracy continued to function, it would make institutions work within their limits.

Mr Chandio disputed statements of former federal ministers that load-shedding had been eliminated. Courts could not resolve problems by disqualifying politicians, they should, therefore, let people choose their leaders, he said.

He said that democratic governments, especially the PPP’s, were never allowed a free hand in governance. It was a unique incident that a judge of the high court had questioned the statement of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, he said.

He said that he believed in paying respects to Sufi saints. Imran Khan’s wife must have kissed the doorstep of the shrine but Imran Khan should not have done it, he said.

PPP workers’ convention

MITHI: PPP leaders and candidates from Tharparkar, addressing party workers’ convention in Nagarparkar on Sunday, vowed to had a humiliating defeat to their opponents in the July 25 elections.

Qasim Siraj Soomro, the candidate for PS-55 Nagarparkar, rejected the propaganda that he did not belong to his constituency and said his image was being tarnished by his opponents who were calling him an ‘imported candidate’. He said the top PPP leadership had selected him purely on a merit basis.

He pledged to pay special attention on building more dams for this water-starved desert region. He said rainwater of the Karoonjhar hills area would be stored in the dams.

Besides, he said, he would work for provision of all basic health and education facilities to the people of Thar.

Senator Krishna Kumari Kolhi said PPP would make Tharparkar a modern district. She said that the Thar coal project was the dream of slain party chief Benazir Bhutto which was being materialised by the incumbent PPP leadership.

Pir Noohammad Shah (the candidate for NA-221), Rana Hamir Singh, Senator Gayanchand, Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani (the candidate for NA-222), Comrade Nandlal Malhi, Dost Ali Rahimoon, Karimdino Dal and other leaders also spoke.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2018