KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has approached the Sindh Assembly to stop the Pakistan Peoples Party from holding a public meeting in Larkana on Dec 27 on the occasion of 13h death anniversary of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto as the event is all set to turn into an another power show of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

It submitted a resolution in the Sindh Assembly against the scheduled rally calling for is cancellation amid growing cases of Covid-19.

MPAs belonging to the PTI led by their senior colleague and party’s Karachi president Khurram Sher Zaman submitted the resolution before the Sindh Assembly secretary demanding cancellation of the Dec 27 rally and accusing the opposition parties of endangering people’s lives for their political gains.

They called it “selfishness of PDM leaders” who they said were deliberately risking the lives of millions for their “personal agenda”.

“Corona cases are on the rise across Pakistan and Sindh tops among other provinces in the second wave of the pandemic,” said Mr Zaman while talking to the media at the Sindh Assembly building after submitting the resolution. “We are seeing every day that numbers [of Covid-19 cases] are increasing. This province [Sindh] has one of the highest rates of corona cases in the country. On one hand, Covid-19 is on the rise and businesses are being penalised for violating safety guidelines and on the other hand the parties are staging rallies and public gatherings.”

‘Contradiction’ in PPP policy

Accompanied by MPAs Shehzad Qureshi, Bilal Ghaffar and Raja Azhar, he said that the “incompetent” Sindh government, which was aggressively toeing the lockdown policy and forcing people to stay indoors during the first wave of the pandemic, was inviting people to come out of their homes and become part of its activism when the second wave was considered deadlier than the previous one.

Khurram Sher Zaman accuses PPP, PDM leadership of endangering people’s lives

“The same gentleman [Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah] will come back with folded hands and ask them to go to Larkana,” added MPA Zaman. “Leaders of the PPP including Rashid Rabbani, Murtaza Baloch and Jam Madad Ali have died of coronavirus. Is this not enough for the PPP to understand the sensitivity of the situation? How heartless one can become only to save a few people and their billions of illegal properties?”

He referred to a “contradiction” in the policy of the PPP government in Sindh as the party founded for the rights of the people and democratic struggle by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had been “hijacked by a few corrupt elements” who were running the show for their personal agenda and gains.

After Benazir Bhutto, the PPP was fast turning into a group, he said, adding: “The Zardari group has taken over the ideology of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir. The Sindh government is being run on one-point principle ie corruption. The rejected PPP leaders have recently announced a rally in Larkana on Dec 27. But it’s so unfortunate that the same day the Sindh home department had issued a notification to close madressahs across the province. People are already aware of the target of PDM leaders and their goals but now this alliance has become against the people.”

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2020