Governor accused of forming anti-PPP election cell

PPP Karachi Division President Saeed Ghani has alleged that an election cell has been constituted at the Sindh Governor House, and it is working in favour of two opponent political parties, i.e. the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan.

Speaking at a press conference at media cell of his party on Sunday, Ghani said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should take cognizance of the formation of the “illegal election cell” at the Governor House.

He further alleged that resources from the public exchequer were being used to run the election cell. “Pressure is being unduly applied to some of our people to change their political loyalties. I will ask all the responsible institutions to desist from using such tactics.”

Ghani claimed that the PPP was all set to achieve surprising results in the upcoming general elections in Karachi. “Bilawal Bhutto has been fully concentrating on Karachi as he has also made a firm resolve to salvage the city from the quagmire of the politics of hatred.”

The PPP leader conceded that his party during the past could not conduct its political activities in Karachi in full swing owing to the MQM’s reign of terror that persisted for several years. “Now the situation has changed with the restoration of law and order. People are now free to openly affiliate themselves with any of the political parties.”

Ghani remarked that political activists and leaders joining the PPP was not at all a new phenomenon as people had been doing it for quite a long time.

On the occasion, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Haji Chanzeb and some Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists announced their decisions to join the PPP.

The PML-N leader said he had decided to part ways with his parent political party after remaining associated with it for 28 years.

He said the PML-N had not done justice to Sindh, and water supply and road projects in his constituency in Karachi had been completed by the PPP’s provincial government that had just completed its tenure. “Nawaz Sharif no more lives in my heart as his place has been taken over by Bilawal and the arrow [the election symbol of the PPP],” he said. Haji Chanzeb urged the political workers the PTI and the Pak Sarzameen Party in Karachi to join the Peoples Party.

PPP Sindh General Secretary Waqar Mehdi said those who had joined his party in the present day belonged to District Malir in Karachi.

He claimed that the PPP would secure a landslide victory in the general elections in District Malir. On behalf of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he greeted those who had decided to join the PPP.

In a related press statement, Mehdi said the holding of general elections in a free and fair manner was no more possible in the province with the Sindh governor “continuing to serve in the same position”.

He appealed to the ECP and the caretaker federal government to immediately take cognizance of the presence of the election cell at the Governor House in order to expose the “conspiracy” being hatched against the mandate of the people of Sindh. He said the cell had been formed to rig the July 25 general elections in favour of the former ruling political party at the Centre and its ally, MQM.

He said the PML-N and the MQM had joined forces to engineer the polls in Karachi. He said the PML-N during the past had blatantly used state resources and made false allegations to rig the entire election process.

The cell had emerged as the test case for the ECP and the interim federal government, and in case no action was taken to resolve it, the impartiality of the relevant authorities would become highly questionable, said PPP leader.

He asked the ECP and the government to take corrective measures on an immediate basis to ensure fair polls in Karachi. He added that measures should be taken so that the people’s confidence in the ECP and the government was fully restored.