KARACHI, Jan 17: Syed Qaim Ali Shah, President of the Pakistan People’s Party’s Sindh chapter, has expressed the hope that the Election Commission would not succumb to the government pressure, and would discharge its duty honestly by holding the by-elections for NA-250 (Karachi) and PS-71 (Dadu) seats in a free, fair and transparent manner.

Addressing a press conference after chairing a meeting of the PPP Sindh Council here on Wednesday, Mr Shah also expressed confidence that the PPP candidates will emerge victorious if the elections were held in a transparent manner. He warned that any attempt by the government to rig the polls could lead to extremely adverse consequences.

Mr Shah termed the February 10 by-elections ‘a test case’ for the government and Election Commission, elaborating that these would make their intentions and performance vis-à-vis the upcoming general election quite clear.

On the occasion, the PPP leader reiterated that the party chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, would return to Pakistan much before the end of this year to lead the party. “We want her return in a cordial atmosphere,” he added.

Regarding the meeting of the party’s Sindh Council, he said it reviewed the issues of Balochistan, downsizing in different departments, worsening law and order situation and the recent cut in petroleum prices.

He described the nominal reduction in the POL prices as ‘a joke’, and observed that the government would have done this at least two months back.

He also criticised the ‘forced retirement’ of more than 900 Habib Bank employees and over 200 PIA workers under the so-call downsizing exercise, and said this had exposed the government’s claim of creating more job opportunities and bringing down the unemployment rate.

The PPP candidate for NA-250 (Karachi), Nafees Siddiqui, told journalists that the party had recently won the by-election in Shikarpur and would show the same performance in the February 10 by-polls day in Karachi and Dadu.