KHAIRPUR, Aug 23: A case of firing and pelting with stones at PPP caravan has been registered under section 324, 506/2, 147, 148, 149, 144 PPC against 65 people. The caravan was fired at and pelted with stones on Monday night by some people while it was going from Kot Bungalow to the Bungul Khan Chandio village in Kotdiji taluka.

After the incident, the caravan staged a demonstration outside the Kotdiji police station for about two hours, demanding registration of case and arrest of accused.

PPP MNA Manzoor Wassan and MPA Nawab Wassan led the protesters.

Former District Nazim Nafisa Shah also joined the protest. A man was injured in the attack.

Complainant who is a worker of ADP candidates, Gul Mohammad Solangi, a resident of Hayat Solangi village, lodged an FIR with Kotdiji police.

He stated that the caravan was attacked as a result he along with three other workers Imam Dino Solangi, Rasheed Paato and Azizullah Solangi were injured.

Mushtaq Chandio, Basheer Ahmed, Nazimuddin, Imdad Ali, Awais Khan, Mohammad Hashim, Hubdar, Waryam, Shams, Lakhmir and Bago have been nominated in the FIR.

The Kotdiji police told Dawn that three accused persons have been arrested.

MNA Manzoor Wassan and Nawab Wassan told reporters on Tuesday that the situation in the entire district, particularly in Kotdiji taluka might deteriorate because the district administration had not taken any notice of it. Mansoor Mirani

Sindh PPP president Syed Qaim Ali Shah said when PPP MNAs and MPAs were not insecure, the local body elections would not be held in a fair, free and transparent manner.

Talking to reporters at a press conference here on Tuesday evening, he said MNA Manzoor Wassan and MPA Nawab Wassan’s caravan was attacked under a conspiracy so that people should not come to vote on August 25.

He said criminals had been hired in the district who held hostage ADP nazim and naib nazim candidates from UC Kot Mir Mohammad to forcibly get retirement from them but naib nazim candidate Ammanullah Jagirani escaped and reached Jilani House on Tuesday.

He recorded his statement before district returning officer Khairpur.

Our Reporter from Karachi adds: The Pakistan People’s Party on Tuesday castigated the Sindh government for firing on the convoy of MNA Manzoor Wassan and MPA Nawab Wassan.

The PPP alleged that it was an attempt to physically eliminate the opposition ahead of the second phase of the local body elections.

In a joint statement, leader of the opposition in the Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani, and election monitoring committee’s chief Taj Haider said the firing incident in Kotdiji proved that the ruling party was out to use fascist means instead of fighting it politically.

“The ruling party was promoting culture of violence and plotting to eliminate physically its political opponents. Result of such developments would be horrible for the national politics,” they said.

The PPP leaders said such armed attacks had been carried out against Nisar Khuhro, Ayaz Soomro, Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, Yousuf Talpur and Mir Munawar Talpur.

They said former PPP nazims Guddu Behari and Mohan Lal Meghwar were being kept in prisons despite bails.

They recalled attacks on other PPP leaders recently and regretted that the chief election commissioner was sitting cross-legged and local body elections ending up as a frivolous exercise.

Meanwhile, leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro and MNA Nawab Yousuf Talpur condemned the chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim for allegedly casting aspersions on PPP leader Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari.

The PPP leaders condemned arrests of party leaders Ali Murad Rajar, Anwar Rajar and others in Umerkot and demanded that should be released.

MPA Shazia Marri condemned the Sindh chief minister’s statement regarding the PPP just being interested in parading beautiful women and not having worked seriously during LB polls.

Expressing her deep contempt and disgust over the statement, she said the chief minister’s remarks were in bad taste and offensive towards women who constituted over 50 per cent of the country.

“When a person in such an important position of responsibility is shown to harbour such patently chauvinistic and bigoted thoughts, one can well gauge the mindset of the regime that has handpicked him”, she said.

Ms Marri said it was a shame to see those who profess ‘enlightened moderation’ resort to such contemptible behaviour.