LARKANA: Sindh chapter president of the Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Nadir Akmal Leghari has alleged that the government’s B-team and Gullo Butt type characters are trying to foil the PTI’s public meeting in Ali Abad.

Speaking at a press conference along with the PTI’s Sindh chapter general secretary from Karachi Hafeezuddin at the press club here on Thursday, he said their flags were being removed and roads to the venue were blocked.

The matter had been conveyed to the government and the administration had promised to look into the issue, he said. He said Sindh’s Information Minister, Sharjeel Memon, and the commissioner of Larkana had also phoned him (Nadir).

He said caravans coming from Karachi were stopped at Khairpur and barricades were erected on different roads leading to the venue.

He asked the government to show patience so that situation could remain in control.

He said a tsunami would not stay at one place; it would travel to every district of the province. Holding public meetings was the democratic and constitutional right of the PTI, he said.

He said Imran Khan would speak his mind in the public meeting about Sindh. In reply to a question about the Sindh Assembly’s resolution against Mr Khan, Mr Leghari said: “We are striving against FIR and bill mafias.”

He strongly defended Mr Khan’s statement. Answering the statement of the Sindh Assembly’s deputy speaker that Article 20 of the PTI’s party manifesto related to the construction of the Kalabagh dam, Mr Leghari said his Mr Khan had categorically stated that the Kalabagh dam should not be constructed.

It was a very sensitive issue for the people of Sindh, he said, adding that Article 20 talked about the consensus over the issue. He said: “We want to give a straight message to people.”

He termed the PTI a ray of hope for Sindh.

About the public meeting’s security, he said the party had requested for deploying Rangers on the occasion and the venue had been selected in view of Multan’s experience.

In reply to a question if influential people, landlords, Pirs and Sardars were joining the PTI, he said people with a clean background supporting the ideology and philosophy of the PTI and having no feudal mindset were accepted in the party.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2014