PESHAWAR, Oct 16: The NWFP chapter of the Pakistan People’s Party has called upon the Sindh government to exercise restraint and end victimisation of its workers and what it called a smear campaign against the party in the province.

Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, PPP’s provincial president Rahimdad Khan said attacks on party’s rallies in various parts of Sindh were cowardly acts on the part of rulers who, he added, had sensed their defeat at the hands of PPP in the coming elections. He said that despite ‘anti-people’ measures and hurdles in the workers’ caravans PPP would accord historic welcome to its leader Benazir Bhutto on her arrival at the airport in Karachi on Thursday.

Mr Khan said that over 20,000 PPP workers from the NWFP had left for Karachi to welcome their leader.

He said apolitical gangs, sharing power with the government, were afraid of Ms Bhutto’s return and they were using all kinds of tactics to stop party workers from reaching Karachi.He said that thousands of Pakhtuns from Fata and settled districts of the NWFP and those living in Karachi would turn up to the Karachi airport to give a rousing welcome to Ms Bhutto.

He said that despite her absence from Pakistan, Ms Bhutto had been a great source of inspiration for the PPP during the previous elections.

He said the PPP under her charismatic leadership had won a majority seats in 2002, but the power mafia blocked her way to power.

He said that all anti-democratic forces had once again joined hands against the party, but this time people would give a crushing defeat to these forces in the coming elections.

Mr Khan said had PPP made any deal with rulers, the minions of rulers in Sindh and Punjab would not have created hurdles in the way of party workers engaged in making preparation for the occasion across Sindh.

He said that ‘anti-people’ rulers had gone mad after Ms Bhutto announced that she would be returning to Pakistan on October 18.

He said that Ms Bhutto had categorically announced that she wanted a culture of tolerance, respect for human rights and promotion of democratic norms in the country.

Replying to a question, he said that former interior minister Naseerullah Babar was part of the party and he was in contact with Ms Bhutto.

He said that owing to his (Babar’s) age and health, he might not take part in elections, but he was enjoying confidence of Ms Bhutto and other party leaders. He said that the PPP would field its candidate against Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao in the next general elections.

He said the PPP would not make electoral alliance with any political party or group, instead it would go for seat-to-seat adjustment, if it came inevitable.