HYDERABAD, Feb 8: All Pakistan Minorities Alliance’s Sindh chapter has announced to extend all-out support to the People’s Party in the next elections.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Friday, the former MPA and provincial president of the alliance, Saleem Khursheed Khokhar, said that the PPP was the only party which furthered the cause of minorities by rising above the religious prejudices.

He said the central president of the alliance, Shahbaz Bhatti, had been awarded ticket for National Assembly seat by the PPP while other leaders of the alliance from all the federating units of the country, including Michael Javed, Khalid Javed and he himself in Sindh, Rafique Pervez and Tahir Naveed in Punjab, Jafar in Balochistan and Prince Javed in NWFP had also been awarded tickets.

He appealed to the Christian community and all other minorities to come out in the open and support the PPP in the general elections in the larger interest of the country and for democracy.

He also appealed to the Election Commission to take notice of the alleged harassment unleashed by the Karachi and Hyderabad administrations against the minorities.

He demanded that powers of all the nazims should be seized till elections and army and Rangers should be appointed within and outside the polling stations on the day of polling.

He also called upon the minorities to remain present at the polling stations after casting their votes till the announcement of results.

Khokhar also condemned what he called a “Gunda Force” which was proposed by the government for appointment and deployment for security purpose during the elections for three days and demanded that this force should be disbanded.