Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon on Tuesday assailed the PTI for not honouring commitments made in preparation for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s recent Sindh visit.

Memon’s comments come a day after the KP CM concluded his visit to the province. On Monday, the chief minister decried the treatment of him and his entourage in Karachi, saying that the provincial government had “desecrated” the honour of the Sindhi ajrak and topi.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Memon expressed his view that the PTI “did not care for the respect they had been accorded during the visit”.

“We do not care about their speeches; however, violations were committed, and all they did was blame the Sindh government.”

Addressing the events that transpired during the KP CM’s visit, Memon said that the Sindh government was in contact with representatives from the KP government, and the two had “chalked out” the schedule for the visit.

Memon maintained that the PTI “violated every commitment they made earlier”.

“There was a threat alert issued as well by security institutions; we did not disclose it to the public; however, the KP government was informed,” the minister said.

He said that, keeping in view the security situation, Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah assured the delegation of protection and facilities, but he urged them “not to engage in anything that disrupts daily life and puts the safety of the delegation at risk”.

Memon recalled: “The first day, they were informed by Nasir Shah sahib to stay clear of certain areas, considering the threat, yet in the evening, they were seen in the District South“.

The Sindh minister further told the media, “Security plans are pre-decided before any such events […] to prevent any unfortunate incidents”.

“When they went to Hyderabad, they took an unapproved route on their way back to Karachi,” he added, contrary to Afridi’s claims of his convoy being forced to take such a route due to roadblocks.

The minister detailed that the PTI delegation took the route of the Hyderabad Bridge, where Memon said the delegation “got stuck in traffic for a couple of hours”.

Nasir had also refuted Afridi’s claims, saying that police accompanied the KP CM on his way to Karachi via the “safest routes”.

On Afridi’s planned meeting with Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah, which the PTI said had been scheduled for January 12 but did not take place, Memon claimed that the KP CM House decided the meeting’s time by themselves, without consulting the other side.

However, as CM Murad had other important meetings already scheduled, it was conveyed to the KP CM House that Memon could meet wherever Afridi wished to “if there were any important issues to discuss”.

When asked about the PTI’s stance on the meeting being cancelled by the Sindh CM House, Memon said it was “full of lies”.

The minister also disputed the PTI’s claims that the gates of Karachi’s Bagh-i-Jinnah had been locked despite the permission for the party to hold a rally.

Memon asserted that the ground did not even have gates in the first place. He added, “If there are police mobiles inside the ground, they are present there to provide security.”

The Sindh government had permitted the PTI to hold a rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah.

However, the PTI, citing a delay in receiving the permit, announced a change in venue, saying it would stage the gathering at one of the gates of Mazar-i-Quaid. Finally, CM Afridi briefly addressed hundreds near Mazar-i-Quaid.

‘Attempt to recreate May 9 events’

Memon further alleged that a “very dangerous attempt was made to recreate the events of May 9, 2023 in Karachi”, mentioning the vandalism of media vehicles on January 11. He asserted that the provincial government and police displayed “patience” while dealing with the situation.

The minister recalled that in Hyderabad, the PTI began “criticising the Sindh government again and started name-calling”, apparently referring to CM Afridi’s comment about President Asif Ali Zardari.

“What do you think the Sindh government is going to gain if you get stuck in traffic for a few hours? What benefit will we get out of this teasing?” the minister questioned.

“If our behaviour had been similar to that of PTI in the past, we would not have welcomed them at all,“ Memon added.

“You (PTI) were planning to cause mischief […] we told them that ‘please only do what has already been approved’,” the senior minister said.

Memon said that the Sindh government gave PTI “full assurances and facilitated them”, but they took “unfair advantage” of it.

He further asserted that no “wheel-jamming“ will be allowed on February 8, when asked about the KP CM‘s reported remarks to “bring the entire country to a halt” as part of the PTI’s protest plan.