‘Anti-PPP alliance will come to naught’

Ex-senator says Bilawal to launch election campaign with rally in Thar on Monday

HYDRABAD:

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) alliance with Sindh-based political parties have failed to dent Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) popularity in the previous elections, said former senator Aajiz Dhamrah.

He downplayed the electoral significance of PML-N alliance with Sindh based political parties saying same coalitions failed to dent PPP's popularity in previous elections.

At a press conference at Hyderabad press club on Sunday, PPP Spokesperson Dhamra recalled that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Grand Democratic Alliance, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, some nationalist parties and Jamaat-e-Ulema-Islam-Fazl unitedly contested against the PPP in 2018 elections.

Read PPP pursuing ‘wait and watch’ policy

However, he said his party ended up with winning a more seats from the province. Similar alliances were formed in 2013 and 2008 general elections as well as during the local government elections against the PPP. "The PPP alone will defeat this electoral partnership," he asserted while commenting on the meeting between a delegation of PML-N with the leaders of GDA and MQM-P in Karachi.

Dhamra informed the media that the PPP will kickstart its election campaign with a public meeting in Tharparkar on November 13 which will be addressed by the party's chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He added that the people of Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts will also participate in that event which is also being organized to celebrate Diwali with Mirpurkhas division's Hindu community.

According to him, Bilawal will also speak at the party's workers convention besides holding separate meetings with the local leaders. Another public meeting of the party will be held in Quetta on November 30.

"The media is reporting that the PPP will be given a tough time in Sindh even though the groupings are still in the formative phase," he observed. "Yet we are eager to welcome any alliance to challenge us in the polls."

Also read PML-N forging broad anti-PPP alliance in Sindh

He contended that the PPP may have felt a bit unnerved if such a coalition was taking a shape for the first time. Dhamrah said the country's electoral history shows that in every single general election the PPP confronted and defeated such leagues.

Responding to question about repatriation of Afghan immigrants he clarified that the PPP in no way supported stay of such immigrants in Pakistan or opposed their extradition. He argued that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari's statement in this regard has been misinterpreted. Zardari had said in Ghotki district last week that returning Afghan families had no future in their country and that Pakistani leadership will have to think about their children and coming generations.

Dhamrah reiterated that the PPP supported participation of PTI in the general elections except those elements of the party facing charges of attacks on the military installations last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2023.