KHAIRPUR, Jan 13: A large number of villagers, including women and children of Noorpur village, Sobhodero taluka, staged a demonstration at civic centre here on Sunday to protest against an influential person and police of the area.

The protesters alleged that an influential wadera of the area was pressuring them not to vote for PPP candidates in the upcoming general elections.

They added that they were peasants and supporters of Ms Benazir Bhutto. They said the henchmen of the wadera manhandled women and children of the village on Sunday morning. They said that they went to Teepani Bahlem police station, where they were told by the police to go back to their village and the police party would visit them. They added that police did not keep its word and failed to turn up. They alleged that the police were also supporting the wadera.

Our Mirpurkhas correspondent adds: A former member of Mirpurkhas district council and worker of PPP ladies wing, Najma Lashari, has alleged that she and his family were receiving threats of dire consequences from ex- MNA Syed Qurban Ali Shah and Khair Mohammad Bhurgari, district president of PML-Q Mirpurkhas.

Talking to journalists, she deplored that political victimisation was continuing in the shape of these personalities’ allegations that the bungalow of Khair Mohammad Bhurgari was torched by me besides firing on the bungalow of Syed Qurban Ali Shah.

She denied of her involvement in these incidents and said that above persons were forcing the police to implicate her in a false case. She said that police raided her house and thoroughly searched it, but the conspiracy foiled when no looted goods were recovered.

She demanded of the higher authorities to take immediate notice and end the vilification campaign launched against her.

Our Naushahro Feroze Correspondent adds: PPP candidate for PS-27, Dr Abdul Sattar Rajpar, has accused the district government and district nazim of implicating PPP supporters in fabricated cases.

At a press conference here on Sunday, Dr Abdul Sattar, said that district nazim was canvassing for his rival candidate and seeking votes for him. He said that around 2000 Rajpar tribesmen and 14000 of his voters were implicated in false cases of arson and riots.

He said it was now an open secret as to who was involved in destroying the private and public properties.

He said that a number of his supporters, including Zulfiqar, Imran Shaikh, Mukhtiar Burdi and Alim Rajpar, were arrested who were not even nominated in any FIR. He alleged that police had become a party by torturing and harassing PPP activists.

He said that despite ban, transfers of officers continued in the district. He said the DCO of Naushahro Feroze and SHOs of Bhirya and Padidan police station were transferred.