LARKANA, Feb 1: The People's Party Parliamentarians took out a procession in Kambar on Saturday to show its strength after the defection of Nawab Shabir Ahmed Chandio.

Speaking on the occasion, opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro said the party would foil gerrymandering of Larkana district by the government.He criticized the defectors and said those who had joined the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) on the promise of having a new constituency could only meet failure.

Mr Khuhro said the people would defeat party defectors in the next election. He said the PPP would survive against all traumas as in the past. He cited attempts of Gen Ziaul Haq and Jam Sadiq who, he said, tried to divide the party but in vain.

He said some people were joining the PML which strongly advocated the construction of Kalabagh dam and greater Thal canal. He said it was yet to see how defectors were reacting to plans of the government.

Mr Khuhro said defection of any feudal lord would cast no impact on the party as it had witnessed many upheavals. He was confident that the party would further be strengthened as workers were fountain of its strength.

He said increase in prices of essential commodities, incidents of suicide, rising graph of unemployment were indicators that the government was not performing well.

He said the fast decaying law and order situation in Sindh was quite alarming. Quoting attacks on Gen Musharraf's life and inability and failure of the Sindh government for not making arrangements for the prime minister in Jacobabad for addressing a meeting, he said, this spoke volumes of poor law and order situation.

PPP Larkana president Ayaz Soomro, MNA Khalid Iqbal Memon, Gaibi Khan Chandio and others also spoke on the occasion. Earlier, the party took out a procession from its office in the city which after making stop over at Wagan, Warah, Nasirabad, Badah and Dokri culminated at Kambar.

The police escorted the procession and heavy contingents of police were deployed in the town to avert any untoward incident. PPP MNAs, MPAs, party leaders, Nazims and councillors also participated in the rally.