No peace if Rangers go, says Qureshi

THARPARKAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said all projects and job in Sindh are carried out on commission and bribes.

He said the law and order situation had deteriorated to the extent that the Sindh police were now unable to maintain peace. “If Rangers are withdrawn from Karachi, it would become hard for the government to maintain peace in the province, especially big cities,” he claimed.

Addressing a rally at Chachro taluka (tehsil) of Tharparkar on Saturday, he said the people of Thar were deprived of basic needs of life as the incumbent Sindh government was not sincere in developing the neglected region.

Qureshi said the historic rally he was addressing showed the popularity of the PTI in Sindh. He said we are not in government and we have no state resources, but still people are attending our rallies in large numbers. He said he salutes the masses of Thar for making the rally a historic success.

He said an assembly member recently said some people come to Thar from other areas and they have not relation to the Thar. He said today the people of Thar present in the rally could tell that MNA of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) what is his relationship with Thar. “They will tell him that my relationship with Thar is older than his relationship with this region.” The PTI vice chairman said the government used all-out resources in 2013 to keep him away from Thar. He said 32 polling stations in Thar were torched and election result was delayed for 15 days. He said, “If you were the winner why the result was delayed for so many days.”

Shah Mehmood said if someone was not happy with his visit to Thar and local people have any objection to his visits, they should tell him and he will leave the region after praying for the welfare of its people. On this, the people attending the rally said ‘No’ by raising their hands.

He said had the water filtration plants worth Rs800 million providing drinking water to Thar, he would have no need to go there. He said if the basic heath units were providing healthcare to people and Thari children were not dying of diseases and malnutrition, he would have no need to visit the area. Qureshi said if the wheat supplied for the starved Thari people was not eaten by the ruling party leaders, he would have no need to visit Thar. He said Thar had coal worth trillions of rupees and if this wealth had raised living standard of Thari people, he would have no need to visit the area. He said the winds of change had already been blowing in Thar.

Qureshi said more than 1,000 schools had been closed in Thar. He said his political acumen tells him that people of Sindh are supporting the PTI. He said he was there to spread the message of peace and justice of the PTI.

He said poverty was increasing in the country. The rate of unemployment had crossed 9 per cent. Today the government’s loans are more than Rs27,000 billion and this is huge burden on this poor nation. He asked the masses if they are content with this Pakistan or need a new prosperous Pakistan. He said the PTI would continue to strive for basic rights of people.

PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh said on the occasion the whole Sindh was fed up with the corruption of rulers. He said the rulers even did not spare the wheat released for famine struck Thari people. He said the PPP rulers had snatched the rights from the people of Sindh but the PTI would give them these rights back. He said now even Thar has witnessed a change.

PTI leaders MNA Lal Malhi, MPA Arbab Anwar Abdul Razaq Rahimon Dost Muhammad Memon Dilawar Malknai Pir Taj Muhammad Shah Jeelani Jay Parkash Ukrani Aarab Bheel Bhagwandas Bheel and others also spoke. On the occasion a large number of people belonging to Kolhi and Bheel communities announced joining the PTI.