KARACHI: Workers and leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party on Sunday staged protest demonstrations in different parts of the province against the federal government decision of allowing former president retired General Pervez Musharraf to leave the country.

Chanting anti-government slogans, scores of party workers staged a protest demonstration organised by its Karachi division leadership outside the Karachi Press Club.

“Court should take its cognisance and order for a case of sedition against [prime minister] Nawaz Sharif for allowing a person, who was facing charges of sedition and other heinous crimes, to leave the country,” said Senator Taj Haider, PPP Sindh secretary general, while speaking to the rally participants.

The protesters were chanting slogans against the former general and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

They were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans ‘Arrest Musharraf’ and ‘Go Nawaz, Go’

Senator Haider said apart from charges of sedition, Mr Musharraf was facing cases, like the assassinations of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti.

With his departure abroad, he added, all those cases would be put on the backburner.

“The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had made tall claims before the last elections that it would punish the former military dictator for all the crimes he committed, but now they have forgotten all the promises.”

Rashid Rabbani, coordinator to the Sindh chief minister, said Gen Musharraf had derailed democracy and his anti-people actions were inexcusable.

“Nawaz Sharif returned favour to Gen Musharraf by granting him passage to safety,” he added.

LARKANA: Condemning the PML-N government for giving safe exit to Gen Musharraf, activists of the PPP carrying banners and placards took out a procession from Kennedy Market here on Sunday.

Acting district president of the PPP Khair Mohammed Shaikh, district head of PPP women wing Naseban Channa, district general secretary Abdul Fatah Bhutto, MNA Ramesh Lal, Dr Sakina Gaad, Nooruddin Abro, Aftab Bhutto and others after marching on the main roads of the city assembled at Jinnahbagh Chowk.

The participants of the rally included activists of all sister organisation of the PPP.

They said the country laws had remained discriminatory against the PPP as the difference could be drawn in treatment meted out to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Gen Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif.

BADIN: A large number of PPP workers took out a rally from Allah Wala Chowk to Tando Bago press club here on Sunday.

Khan Sahib, Mr Jamali, Salman Khowaja, Zaifran Chhalgri and other leaders addressed the protesters, who staged a demonstration at the press club in Tando Bago.

They claimed that the federal government was hatching a conspiracy against the Sindh government.

DADU: Pakistan Peoples Party activists in Dadu took out a rally in Dadu city on Sunday to protest against the federal government for allowing Gen Musharraf to go abroad.

PPP activists demanded that the government should bring back Gen Musharraf and try him in courts.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2016