PTI cries foul over PPP's use of 'dirty politics'

Leader Haleem Adil Sheikh claims police force was used against his party in Dadu

KARACHI: The leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has expressed anger over the use of police force against their party in Sindh, demanding that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) revisit their use of 'dirty politics'.

PTI Sindh Senior Vice-President Haleem Adil Sheikh said this during a press conference on Friday at Insaf House in Karachi. He was joined by other party officer-bearers such as Jamal Siddiqui, Dawa Khan Sabir and Mansoor Sheikh.

Criticising the PPP, Sheikh said, "They claim to be the followers of [PPP founder] Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. However, they have not learned anything about politics from their leaders." He said that the PPP always speaks about democracy but when it comes to ruling the province, they forget democracy and run the government as if it is a kingdom.



Police force was used to remove our banners and party flags from Dadu but we managed to attract more than 100,000 people to PTI Chairperson Imran Khan's public gathering, claimed Sheikh. He also mentioned that the party planned to host 15 'huge' public gatherings in the province but the ruling party did not want to see this happen and kept rejecting their requests for permission to hold the gatherings.

The senior vice-president added that their workers are being threatened to leave the PTI and the factory of the party's Ghotki president was burnt, allegedly on the orders of the area's deputy commissioner, but Imran's followers have never compromised and will not abandon him.

"We have emerged as an alternative party [to the PPP] in the province and this has caused fear among the leaders of the ruling party. They also know that now it will be impossible for them to use their money to buy prominent people in Sindh as the common man has realised that voting for the PPP is of no use," said Sheikh.



Sharing the party's plan for the general elections, the PTI leader said they will put up candidates from all of the province's constituencies and will hold public gatherings in all of Sindh's districts in order to mobilise the people.

He warned the government and its officials that they will hold each and every person involved in conspiring against them accountable. Sheikh requested government officials to remain loyal to their jobs rather than any political party.

"How are they going to compete with us when they cannot control mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue or chikungunya in the province? Even to combat that they may call [real estate tycoon] Malik Riaz or some Chinese company," criticised Sheikh.



He added that even though former president and PPP Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari is in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, PTI-led provincial government has been directed to provide him full protocol. But even then, the PPP is using government machinery against them.

Sheikh said their main rivals, the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, never created such hurdles when the PTI wanted to hold public gatherings in Punjab. But in Sindh, it is clear that the PPP fears their increasing popularity among the people.

The two parties have been at loggerheads in the province, with numerous barbs being thrown about. Recently, PTI MPAs joined other opposition parties in the Sindh Assembly in a protest and token walkout, shouting 'Go Zardari Go, No Corruption No'.



The joint opposition were protesting against the PPP-led provincial government's use of opposition MPAs' development funds in their own jurisdictions.