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HYDERABAD, Feb 7: People’s Party Parliamentarians MPA Shazia Mari has accused the Sindh government of using public money on advertisements, banners, placards, stickers and vehicles being used for election campaign of the Pakistan Muslim League candidate in the by-polls for PS-71 Kotri.
Speaking at a news conference with party MPA Zahid Ali Bhurgari at the press club on Wednesday, she alleged that the government was victimizing PPP supporters in the constituency.
She said that same methods were being used in Kotri by-elections which had been earlier used in the Shikarpur by-polls. She, however, expressed the hope that like Shikarpur, the PPP would also win the Kotri and Karachi seats because notwithstanding harassment and victimization, PPP vote bank was intact.
She said that the PPP was contesting Kotri by-elections not against the official candidate but ‘against the Sindh chief minister, his cabinet and advisers.’
She charged that the Sindh government had discarded moral and human values in the by-election campaign. She said that election meetings of the government candidate were attended by government servants and if anyone failed to attend the corner meetings, he was pilloried.
She alleged that many workers the PPP were arrested and tortured but released after protest.
Ms Mari said that lady health workers were being appointed on election duties to commit rigging and called upon the Election Commission to take notice of election malpractices.
She said that banners and posters of the PPP candidate were being removed and torn into pieces.
Answering a question, she said that PPP MPAs and MNAs would act as polling agents to resist any pressure and check bogus voting. She opposed deployment of army for supervising the by-elections, saying that it was not necessary in Kotri.
Answering another question about the reports that Jamshoro District Nazim Malik Asad Sikandar was supporting the official candidate, Ms Mari said that Mr Sikandar night have succumbed to pressure put by the government.
Mr Bhurgari said that ‘Ali Baba and 40 thieves’ had taken over the charge of the election campaign of the official candidate, 12 ministers had set up camps in Kotri to ensure his victory and the DPO was obeying their illegal orders.
He said that the government had become a security risk for the country and the people were waiting for the return of Benazir Bhutto to save the country.
QAIM ALI SHAH: Sindh People’s Party Parliamentarians president Syed Qaim Ali Shah MPA has said that when the Sindh chief minister can not control a handful of sugar mill owners, how can he control rampant lawlessness, unemployment and price hike.
Speaking at a sizable election meeting held in Kotri on Tuesday night, he said that the people had become so helpless due to price hike and unemployment that they were committing suicide.
He said that the PPP would resist the construction of five dams on River Indus and added that tens of thousands of people would stage a sit-in if the government went ahead with the projects.
He said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf, who claimed to enjoy support of 98 per cent of the population, should put off uniform and then contest elections against the PPP. He said that Gen Musharraf’s election by the present assemblies would not be allowed.
He said that during eight years, the president had given nothing to the people except hunger, poverty and unemployment.
