KARACHI, Oct 16: The city government’s local taxes department succumbed to the pressure of the Sindh chief minister and asked all outdoor advertisers to remove screens carrying PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s portraits, banners and her party’s flag from their signboards.

Informed sources told Dawn that so far, over 20 screens have been removed from hoardings from different city areas, excluding Sharea Faisal, and till the filing of this report work was going on in this regard.

The verbal directives came from District Officer Rehan Khan, who phoned the advertisers and asked them to remove the screens featuring PPP messages.

A spokesman for the city government told Dawn that neither was it his policy nor had City Nazim Mustafa Kamal issued any directives to remove screens or banners put up to welcome Ms Bhutto.

“We have not removed any banner or billboards from any area of our jurisdiction,” he claimed.

However, a CDGK official added, on the condition of anonymity, that verbal orders were issued for strict compliance with the directives coming from the Chief Minister’s House.