THATTA, Oct 4: Hundreds of Pakistan People’s Party activists and party sympathisers took out a rally in Sujawal on Thursday to protest against registration of a criminal case against a party leader and some workers.

They claimed that the PML affiliated Shirazi group, which was ruling the district since last couple of years and a staunch rival of the PPP, was using state machinery at their disposal to get party activists’ loyalties changed, but they could not succeeded in their designs.

Led by members Sindh council and candidate for PPP ticket for PS-86 (Sujawal Bathoro) Syed Masood Mustafa Shah and district president PPP, Arbab Wazir Ahmed Memon, the protesters were holding party flags, banners and placards as they marched through the main thoroughfares and converged at a public park where Arbab Wazir, Masood Mustafa Shah, Mohsin Sindhi, Imtiaz Qureshi, Pir Rehmani, Ramzan Baghal and others spoke to the those who were present there.

They also claimed that the group managed to lodge dozens of concocted FIRs against the party workers but all of their tactics proved futile.

Syed Masood Shah said being proud grandson of one of the founder members of the PPP, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, he was a staunch follower of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and he would not bow down before the clutches of Shirazis.

The speakers said that the rivals were afraid of returning of the party chairperson, Ms Benazir Bhutto, to Pakistan as their days have now been numbered.

The speakers warned the police to not to become puppets of ruling political groups as the police were bound to be accountable.

The speakers appealed to the people to reactivate their potential to bring the PPP candidates in power in the upcoming general elections.

On Tuesday, a case was registered against PPP leader Masood Mustafa Shah and four office-bearers of the party by the Sujawal police on the charge of kidnapping Imran Mandhro, an employee of the Sujawal taluka council, and detaining and manhandling him.

According to the complainant, he was kidnapped on gunpoint by SPSF leader Mohsin Sindhi, People’s Party Parliamentarians office-bearers Faiz Mohammad Bhatti and Ramzan Baghal and activist Guloo Gormani in a car and held hostage on the premises of the Laar Sugar Mills where Mr Shah was already present.