PTI announces protest against census results

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Wednesday said it will stage protests across the city after Eid against the controversial digital census.

Besides the census, the oppostion party warned of strong backlash against the treatment metted out to its Sindh president.

PTI Karachi President Aftab Siddiqui has said that Ali Zaidi is a former federal minister, but the way he had been arrested on trumped-up charges made him look like a criminal.

"A 10-year-old case has been presented against Ali Zaidi in the court which involves some property transactions," Siddiqui said while speaking at a press conference at Insaf House in Karachi on Wednesday where PTI Karachi chapter's General Secretary Arsalan Taj was also present.

"Interestingly, Ali Zaidi was not even present in the country when the alleged transactions worth Rs180 had taken place in 2013," he added. "We have presented Ali Zaidi's passport as evidence in the court." Siddiqui wondered that the complainant had been missing for 10 years and suddenly appeared on April 15, 2023 to lodge the case against Zaidi.

He further said that the case against Ali Zaidi was registered in Ibrahim Hyderi, but he was kept in Gadap to deny his family and PTI workers meetings with him.

While referring to the ongoing crackdown on PTI workers and leaders, Siddiqui said that people were not formally arrested but kidnapped in Pakistan. "PTI Chairman Imran Khan has been implicated in as many as 150 cases. We strongly condemn the dramas staged by PDM," he added. "Tomorrow, the court will grant bail to Ali Zaidi, Inshallah!"

Siddiqui also spoke about the rising street crime in Karachi. "Criminals are roaming free, while the police appear to be helpless." He said, adding that the police were being used only for exacting political revenge. He added that the rising street crime has exposed the performance of the police stations.

Siddiqui further said that the PTI was not satisfied with the results of the first digital census in Karachi. "We will stage peaceful protests across Karachi against the census results. We will raise our voice for Karachi at every level," he added. "If we shall have to sit with any party on this issue, we will not hesitate."

While speaking on the occasion, General Secretary Arsalan Taj said that the "Zardari mafia" could accurately count the corruption money but not the correct population of Karachi.

"Karachi's population is estimated to be more than 50 million while the digital census put it at more than 10 million," he claimed. "Who hatched this conspiracy to undercount Karachi's population during the census?"

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2023.