DADU, Feb 4: Police on Monday dragged about 80 local leaders and activists of Pakistan People’s Party’s into two cases, which had been filed against unidentified people in Dadu, booked an ADP union council nazim after 10-day arrest in Khairpur and conducted raid on a PPP candidate’s residence in Mirpurkhas.

The 80 local leaders and activists face charges of burning down bungalows of former federal minister Liaquat Ali Jatoi and Chakar Khan Shahani during violence sparked by the murder of Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27.

Many workers have gone underground after police arrested Pir Nadeem, an activist.

Rafique Ahmed Jamali, PPP candidate for NA-232, told journalists that the workers’ victimisation continued unabated with police conducting raids to arrest workers and force them to support PML-Q candidates.

Pir Mazharul Haq, PPP candidate for PS-74, blamed PML-Q candidates for getting PPP leaders and workers implicated in fake cases and throw a spanner into their election campaign.

He alleged that police were working for PML-Q candidates and saw arrest of PPP workers as part of pre-poll rigging. He feared more fake FIRs were in store for them and appealed to chief election commissioner to provide them protection from police and PML-Q candidates.

In Khairpur district, Gambat police filed a case against Awam Dost Panel nazim Younus Khemtio, arrested 10 days ago by Sobhodero police, on Sunday night.

Former District Nazim Nafisa Shah, general secretary of District Bar Association Abdul Qayoom Shaikh and Naeem Kharal, PPP candidate for PS-34, condemned the case against Mr Khemtio and said the arrest was politically motivated.

Mr Khemtio, booked under Section 21/2 of Hudood Ordinance (harbouring criminals or buying stolen goods), was kept at different police stations where he was subjected to torture, they said.

They alleged that the case had been lodged on the directives of DSP Gambat, who had recently been transferred from Shikarpur to Gambat despite ban on transfers. The DSP was campaigning for PML-F candidate Imtiaz Shaikh and harassing PPP workers, they claimed.

A heavy contingent of police raided the residence of Mir Haji Hayat Talpur, PPP candidate for PS-66, in Digri on Monday when he was away from home running election campaign in Jhuddo.

Mr Talpur confirmed on phone that police had raided his house and expressed fear that he might be implicated in fabricated cases. The administration wanted to sabotage PPP candidates’ election campaign through police harassment, he said.

Officials at Digri police station and the DPO’s office said after several calls that only the SHO who was not available could make any comment on the raid. The DPO was also not available for comments.