KHAIRPUR, Jan 24: The Pakistan People’s Party candidate for NA-215, Nawab Khan Wassan, on Thursday rejected the government’s claim that it had controlled the flour crisis and said the crisis very much persisted in rural areas and katchi abadis of all the main towns of the district.

He said at condolence meetings held in his constituency to pay tribute to Shaheed Bhutto that it was impossible for the daily-wagers like donkey-cart and pushcart owners and labourers to buy a 10kg bag of flour because they could afford to buy only one kilogramme of flour daily.

He criticised the proposed ration card scheme and termed it a proof to government’s failure. The Utility Stores were set up only in big cities and there appeared to be no plan for opening the stores in rural areas and small towns as well, he said.

Mr Wassan said that despite martyrdom of Ms Benazir Bhutto, fake cases against party workers and arrest of innocent people in the district, more and more people were throwing their support behind PPP candidates.

He said that on the one hand 80 per cent of the country’s economy depended on agriculture while on the other people were unable to get even wheat flour.

Former district nazim of Khairpur Nafisa Shah said, meanwhile, that Benazir Bhutto’s murder was a conspiracy and a national loss.

She said at condolence meetings in Babarloi and Wada Machhiyoon that she had her doubts about the general elections’ being held in a free and fair manner as she believed the government would rig the polls to get its candidates elected.

Nevertheless, the party would go into elections because it was part of a democratic process and the party would like to come to power through democratic process, she said.

She said that provincial and federal caretaker set-ups were pro-Musharraf and people had no hope of any good coming from them.