HYDERABAD: Activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) held demonstrations and sit-ins outside press clubs in a number of Sindh towns in response to the call of their leadership to step up their anti-government campaign.

In Hyderabad, activists of the PTI, the PAT and other parties staged token protests and sit-ins outside the press club and at Gul Centre Chowk, calling upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down.

Masood Jamal Khanzada and Nayab Ansari of the PAT, Dr Mustansar Billa of the PTI, Imdad Naseemi of the Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), Ahsan Rehman of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and a representative of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q held a demonstration outside the press club and then marched to Gul Centre Chowk where they staged a sit-in against the federal government over its failure to implement the charter of demands presented by PAT and PTI chiefs in Islamabad.

They said the token protests and sit-ins would continue till their demands were met.

Sukkur: Workers of the PTI held a demonstration outside the press club here on Friday in protest against an attack by PML-N workers on the residence of senior PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Multan.

The protesters set up a camp in front of the press club where they raised slogans against the PML-N and in favour of Azadi March of the PTI in Islamabad.

PTI activists took out a rally here on Friday in protest against the federal government and in favour of Azadi March.

The rally marched on different roads before terminating at the DC office roundabout where the protesters held a sit-in and raised slogans.

Local PTI leaders said the Nawaz government had been formed with the help of fake results which they did not accept. Mr Sharif therefore should resign immediately, they said.

They said the Azadi March in Islamabad would continue till the resignation of Nawaz Sharif.

If anything happened to Imran Khan, its responsibility would lie on Mr Sharif, they warned.

Meanwhile, heavy contingents of police were deployed around the DC Chowk to avert the possibility of a clash between activists of the PTI and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl who were infuriated over PTI chief’s remarks about their leader.

In Thull, PTI workers staged a demonstration outside the press club in protest against the attack on the residence of their senior party leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Multan.

The leaders condemned the attack by PML-N workers and raised slogans against the PML-N government.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2014