‘GDA suffered historic defeat in polls despite its alliance’

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sharjeel Memon said on Friday said Grand Democratic Alliance chief Pir of Pagaro Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi should not bring religion into politics.

Speaking to a press conference at the PPP Karachi headquarters Bilawal House, Memon referred to the protest sit-in held by the GDA at the Jamshoro interchange on the Superhighway as “a congregation of Pir of Pagaro followers”, not a political gathering.

He said that despite making an anti-PPP alliance with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the GDA faced a “historic” defeat across Sindh in the General Election 2024.

He added that now these political parties were putting forward a narrative that the elections were rigged. He said that the GDA also could not even win a single district in the province in the 2023 local bodies elections.

The PPP leader opined that the GDA was rejected by the people, because despite being in governments, especially during dictatorships, the party did not nothing for the public.

He claimed that on the other hand, the PPP and its Sindh government did everything to provide relief to the public during calamities, such as climate-induce floods and Covid-19 pandemic.

He said that the GDA platform was being used to spread hatred among people and extend threats to the PPP leadership, which the party would not tolerate and respond accordingly.

Memon said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazulr Rehman also used religion for political advantage by bringing out the students of his seminaries onto the streets in an attempt to show his popularity.

He asked if the JUI-F claimed that the 2024 elections were rigged and they were made to lose through manipulation, then how come it was joining hands with the PTI whose independent candidates won against Maulana’s candidates.

He rejected the JUI-F chief’s statement that the no-confidence motion against former prime minister Imran Khan was brought on the instruction of former army chief General (retd) Qamar Bajwa.

Memon said that the no-confidence motion was the initiative of the PPP without any dictation from anyone. He said that it was the first time in the history of Pakistan that a PM was removed through constitutional means.

He said that the PTI and other political parties which were alleging that the 2024 elections were rigged were products of the same process. He added that the PTI was brought into power in the 2018 elections after bulldozing the public mandate.

He said that the PPP did not want to react to hatred with hatred, because it believed that Pakistan could not bear any disturbance; therefore, all political parties should come together to steer the country out of the crisis it was facing.

He alleged that agents of foreign powers were trying to create problems in the country, and they should be opposed.