January 20, 2003	Monday	Ziqa'ad 16, 1423

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THATTA, Jan 19: Over two dozen activists of the People’s Party Parliamentarians have criticized the allotment of party ticket for Senate election to Maliha Malik, the sister of former Sindh governor Mohammedmian Soomro.

The party activists, led by Thatta general secretary of the PPP, Imtiaz Qureshi, were talking to reporters at the press club here on Sunday.

They said that if Soomro had not stayed here on the eve of the October elections to manoeuvre for the Pakistan Muslim League-Q’s candidates, fielded by the Shirazi group, the PPP would have emerged victorious in the district.

They said that allotment of the party ticket to the sister of one of the party’s staunchest enemies would create a sense of deprivation among the ranks of the party.

Later, talking to this correspondent, several PPP activists and sympathisers described the allotment of the party tickets as being based on favouritism.

Expressing resentment over the allotment of party ticket from the Thatta district to Ms Malik, they said that it was unjustifiable.

The PPP MPA, Sassui Palejo, when contacted, declined to comment on the issue, saying that the time and conditions were not appropriate to say anything.

She acknowledged that Soomro was instrumental in getting the PML-Q candidates elected, but argued that he was betrayed by the Shirazis after the election.

Sassui stressed the need for proving one’s loyalties to the party leader, saying that the PPP workers should avoid bickering at this critical juncture.