KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vowed to “resist” early on Friday as they termed the Sindh government’s decision to delay the local body polls as “unacceptable”.
According to Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, due to concerns of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), local body elections scheduled for January 15 in Karachi, Hyderabad and Dadu have been postponed.
In a statement, JI Karachi President Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said that the party will not accept the postponement of local body elections and termed the decision as an ambush by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and MQM on Karachi and Hyderabad.
The JI leader asked the party members to stick to their marks with unwavering courage as the party’s manifesto will be released this morning. Sindh government’s decision is not acceptable in any case.
Rehman appealed to his party workers to be ready to protest today and said: “We will protest, go to Election Commission of Pakistan premises and also go to court. We will not allow these people – M QMP and PPP. – Run.”
He asked the party workers to stay in touch with the common people as he is going to announce the next strategy of the party at 10 am today.
The JI leader said the party would consider all possible options to get its due through public response.
“This [postponement of LG polls] is nothing but backstabbing and overnight ambushes. It is a repeat of what has always happened because MQMP and PPP are wrong [against the people]. let’s work.”
Rehman termed the two parties as “bandits” who deprived the youth of their rights, deprived them of education and other basic amenities of civic life. He said the parties “digest every glimmer of hope”.
He added that he is avoiding defeat by postponing the election because he cannot afford to go public.
PTI’s protest over the postponement of local body elections
The PTI has also decided to oppose the provincial government’s decision, saying the party will challenge the delay in the courts and explore every democratic avenue.
PTI Sindh President Ali Zaidi said that the provincial government took this step because they were afraid of defeat.
He said that PTI will call for protest on Saturday after consultation.
In a statement, Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh said that the MQMP has acted as a pressure group for a “subordinate team” of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). He said that both parties MQM and PPP are two sides of the same coin.
Sheikh insulted PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari without naming him and said: “Sindh’s biggest disease and money worshiper fled Karachi when he had to lick the dust in Punjab.” He demanded that Zardari quit politics, admitting moral and political defeat.
The PTI leader claimed that the people of Karachi had identified “hired killers and killers” of migrants and Sindhis. Sheikh said that the provincial government decided to delay the elections as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was quite scared of the defeat in Karachi and Hyderabad.
He claimed that one person – PTI Chairman Imran Khan – has exposed the entire system to the public. The PTI leader said that those who talk about democracy are afraid of the democratic rights of the people.
He further said that the idea of going public has disturbed the two parties MQMP and PPP. Sheikh said that the plan to occupy the city through CM House, Bilawal House and Governor House has “flopped”.
