PESHAWAR: Pakistan Peoples Party, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has described the arrest of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani as an attempt to spread terror among the leaders of opposition parties and warned that such tactics will harm democracy in the country.

In a statement here on Saturday, PPP provincial president Mohammad Humayun Khan said that the National Accountability Bureau had launched campaign against many of the people, but it had targeted only PPP.

He said that the Sindh Assembly Speaker had been arrested without any prior notice which was tantamount to disgracing the democratic institutions. He said that the arrest was not the first of its kind as PPP leaders had always faced many hardships, but never surrendered.

“The PPP workers are ready for launching anti-government movement if such tactics are not stopped forthwith,” he warned and added that NAB should avoid taking the people into custody during initial interrogation. He said that the bureau should ensure even-handed treatment of the people.

Says its workers are ready for anti-govt movement

The PPP leader said that NAB should also take Ms Aleema Khan into custody as she was also facing corruption charges. The arrest of people under corruption charges without proper evidence, he said, was tantamount to harassment.

“Our leaders have rendered sacrifices of lives in the best interest of the country, but never bargained on principles and thus the party activists will fulfil the mission of their leadership,” he said and added that the workers would come on to the streets in case the top leadership so decided.

The PPP leader claimed that his party had strengthened democracy, carried out mega development projects and brought real change in the lives of the people during its previous governments in the country. He said that the government would be unable to silence the voice of PPP leaders by using NAB against them.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2019