KARACHI, June 28: Leaders of the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) condemned a smear campaign against the party’s chairperson Benazir Bhutto allegedly being launched by the government and its allies.

Addressing a rally on Thursday, they urged the government to remove the ‘indecent banners’ against Ms Bhutto immediately, otherwise the party would be forced to hold processions across the province.

The rally was organised by the Peoples’ Youth Karachi in front of the Karachi Press Club and was addressed by PPP Karachi division president Rashid Rabbani, MPA Rafiq Engineer, PPP leader Haji Sattar Leghari and Aamir Shah.

Earlier, carrying party flags, banners and portraits of the PPP chairperson, a large number of party activists representing different wings of the party converged in front of the KPC and raised slogans against General Musharraf , MQM chief Altaf Husain and Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ejazul Haq.

The PPP leaders slammed what they called the government’s sinister move aimed at discrediting the party leader and to divert the attention of the people from burning issues such as the May 12 episode which was still alive in the minds of the people besides the destruction caused to the city during the recent rains and storms.