PPP to penalise workers independently contesting LG polls in Karachi

The Pakistan Peoples Party has announced it will take to task workers who are contesting the upcoming local government elections in Karachi independently against the officially nominated candidates of the party.

The announcement was made by Sindh Labour and Human Resources Minister Saeed Ghani at a meeting of the PPP Karachi chapter on Tuesday.

He said the PPP had taken cognisance of the complaints forwarded by party presidents in certain districts of Karachi that there were persons associated with the party who had chosen to contest the LG polls independently against official ticket holders of the party.

Ghani said such persons would never be called for interviews to be held in future for selecting any office-bearer of the PPP in the city.

Labour minister, who is also the PPP Karachi president, said warnings would be issued to such activists and office-bearers who had not been wholeheartedly taking part in the election campaign of the PPP candidates in their areas.

Ghani said it was wrong to assume that the ruling PPP in Sindh didn’t want to hold the LG elections in Karachi and Hyderabad.

It was also decided to hold a public meeting at the Nishtar Park on November 30 to mark the 55th foundation day of the party.

Senator Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, who chaired the meeting, said similar public meetings would be held in every district in Sindh on November 30 to mark the foundation day of the party.

One the other hand, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said the ruling parties, particularly the PPP in Sindh and the MQM-Pakistan in the centre, will not be allowed to run away from the LG elections.