LARKANA: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Larkana chapter on Sunday strongly protested dismantling of the party’s camp set up by its women wing in Resham Gali as part of a membership drive.

PTI women wing Larkana district president Nadia Ashraf told a press conference at the local press club on Sunday evening that a police team stormed the camp earlier in the day and forced the women activists present there to dismantle it. She alleged that the police team headed by an ASI of the Market police station took the action at the behest of the local Pakistan Peoples Party leadership.

She said the camp was set up two days ago after obtaining due permission from the competent authority.

She also alleged that the area SHO had been issuing threats to party workers ever since the establishment of the camp.

She condemned the police team for allegedly beating up women workers while uprooting the camp, and said the PTI would move court against the illegal police action.

PTI vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi also spoke at the press conference by phone to condemn the “highhandedness’ of PPP leaders and the area police”.

“The police action in connivance with PPP leaders exposed the party’s claim of being the champion of democracy and reminded us the dictatorial days of General Ziaul Haq and General Pervez Mushrraf,” he said.

He said the police action was aimed at sabotaging the party’s upcoming public meeting in Larkana, but PTI would foil such designs of PPP.

Nadia Ashraf, Iram Soomro and Shahid Rind told the media that a total of 891 women filled their membership forms at the camp.

Advocate Javed Buledi, Nisar Sangi and Niaz Kansaro of the ‘Bilawal Lovers Organisation’, who were present at the press conference, also announced their joining the PTI.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2014