ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a tit-for-tat move against Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) current campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has decided to start its activities in Sindh to dent the ruling PPP in the province.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is currently holding public meetings in KP to gain support for his party.

The PTI also announced on Sunday that party chairman Imran Khan would address a public meeting in Sukkur on Aug 26. The party is also lining up public meetings in other parts of Sindh.

The PPP chairman has held three public meetings in KP at Mansehra, Chitral and Khaghan recently.

Talking to Dawn, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said his party had already planned some public meetings in Sindh and it had nothing to do with Mr Bhutto-Zardari’s programme in KP. “In fact, we don’t consider Bilawal as a player in KP politics,” he said.

He said the PTI would hold its first meeting in Sukkur on Aug 26 followed by more public meetings in near future.

A source in the PTI said the party wanted to give a serious dent to the PPP in Sindh by supporting all anti-PPP forces in the province.

In this connection, he said, the PTI leadership would soon hold meetings with PPP’s disgruntled leader Zulfiqar Mirza, Mumtaz Bhutto and Arbab Rahim.

“We want to support all anti-PPP forces in Sindh so that the PPP could be given a tough time in the 2018 general elections,” the source said.

On the other hand, PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar said Mr Bhutto-Zardari had held three public meetings in KP and more public meetings in the province were on the cards.

He said the people of KP had fully supported the PPP chairman and came out of their houses in a big number to attend his public meetings.

Responding to a question about PTI meetings in Sindh, he said the provincial government would fully facilitate that party for carrying out its programmes because the PPP had no fear of any party in the province.

Meanwhile, another PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq on Sunday claimed that the people of KP have rejected PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

“Youths of KP have realised that Bhutto-Zardari had knocked on a wrong door,” he said.

Mr Haq said people had rejected the PPP in the last elections.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2017