JI, PTI flay PPP for ‘bid to delay LG by-polls, changing results’

Karachi Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman strongly condemned the Pakistan Peoples Party on Monday over what it called “a conspiracy to further delay the local government elections” in the remaining 11 union councils in Karachi.

In his reaction to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s statement for challenging the schedule of the April 18 polls in the 11 union councils, he said in a statement issued from Idara Noor-e-Haq, the JI Karachi headquarters, that the PPP doesn’t want the local government setup in the province in the first place.

He said Bilawal’s statement regarding challenging the date in the Sindh High Court was the continuation of a conspiracy to keep the Karachiites deprived of their due rights, particularly an empowered elected local government.

He said the PPP was continuously showing “an anti-democratic, unconstitutional and fascist behaviour to maintain its clutches across Sindh under the influence of the feudal mindset prevailing in the top brass of the party”.

The JI leader advised Bilawal to accept the ground realities. Bilawal needs to realise that the PPP has lost its ground in the urban areas of the province and its popularity is also on a downward spiral in the rural areas, he remarked. He claimed that the PPP was desperate to install an undemocratic, unelected but loyal to the PPP mayor in the city.

Separately, Karachi Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf President Aftab Siddiqui said the results of LGs polls were changed on behalf of the PPP.

He said the results issued by the ECP were not satisfactory despite the fact that the PTI was the only party that held demonstrations to conduct the LG polls in Karachi. However, the PPP made the election controversial by using the police and government to rig the polls.

He said the PPP was attempting to buy the people's conscience in the elections at all levels. “The people know that the real representative party of Karachi is PTI. The PPP mayor in Karachi is like a madman's dream.” Siddiqui expressed these views while chairing a meeting of chairmen and councillors at the Insaf House. The meeting considered suggestions regarding the elections.