HYDERABAD: Pakistan Te­­hreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is all set to kick off its Ghotki-Karachi march titled ‘Haqooq-i-Sindh March’ on Saturday (today) as many of its central and provincial leaders were on Friday on their way to the starting point, Kamoo Shaheed area, along the Sindh-Punjab border.

All arrangements for a gathering at Kamoo Shaheed, as well as at several spots on way to Karachi, were finalised. Sindh PTI president, Ali Zaidi, on his way to Ghotki, spoke to the media in the Sindh University Housing Society, Hyderabad, where he attended a reception hosted in his honour.

Mr Zaidi, who is also the Federal Minister for Shipping, said PTI was determined to change the destiny of Sindh, and urged people of the province to support it. “As soon as this ‘arrow’ [PPP’s election symbol] is broken, Sindh will stand united,” he remarked, and expressed his confidence that PTI would form the next government in Sindh after the 2023 general elections.

Alluding to the joint opposition‘s planned no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said Mr Khan had predicted years ago that all ‘thieves’ would unite [to escape accountability]. Those who had gathered in Lahore [to plan the no-trust motion] were trying to save themselves, said Ali Zaidi, and observed that yet another attempt being made to dislodge the PTI government was going to fail.

Referring to PPP’s Karachi-Islamabad ‘long march’ starting on Sunday (Feb 27), he remarked that “Bilawal’s march will not cross Ubauro”.

The PTI leader alleged that PPP had only looted wealth over the last 15 years. Sindh government failed to deliver, he said, pointing out that infrastructure in the health and education sectors had been destroyed while corruption prevailed in every department and institution in the province.

“Billions were amassed in the bank accounts of the poor; cases of the Omni Group and other such entities would be taken to a logical conclusion,” he said, and added that Bilawal House was responsible for all evils in Sindh. PPP would not only be defeated but looted wealth would be recovered from it. He alleged that landgrabbers were led by “a don sitting in Bilawal House”.

Ali Zaidi wondered that when hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan could be improved and [PTI’s] Health Card could be provided to people, why Sindh was being deprived of these great facilities. In fact, he said, the Sindh government did not want to do this job. He noted that [PPP chairman] Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited Quetta but overlooked the bereaved families of five Bhand community fellows in Nawabshah. “The PPP chairman doesn’t meet Umme Rubab, Fehmida Siyal and other such aggrieved persons although he claimed to be the champion of human rights,” he said. Days of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and his father were numbered, he said.

Saima Nadeem, Attaullah Khan, Ali Palh and others were also present.

Later, Ali Zaidi visited Sehwan Sharif to pay respect to great Sufi Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar at his shrine.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2022