KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Inam Memon has challenged the political parties including GDA, that are protesting against alleged rigging in elections, to contest election against him in his constituency, yesterday.

The PPP leader, who secured victory in PS-61 with 63,079 votes, challenged the political parties – Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Jamat-e-Islami and Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam – which are protesting against alleged rigging in elections.

Addressing a press conference, Sharjeel Memon said that the entire Sindh gave its mandate to the PPP and the party’s opponents faced a humiliating defeat in the February 8 elections. He also questioned the alliance’s leaders to name a single district in which their candidates won the electoral contest.

Memon challenged the heads of the protesting parties to contest re-election from his constituency.

“Our leadership ordered us to refrain from responding to harsh statements in the same tone. However, we would not keep silent if false allegations are hurled against the PPP leadership,” he warned.

The MPA-elect also criticised JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for levelling serious allegations post-election. It is pertinent to mention here that the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) along with other parties staged a protest sit-in against alleged election rigging at Jamshoro Bypass.

Addressing the sit-in, Pir Pagara stated that the GDA’s stance wasn’t merely about contesting the recent elections but about unveiling the systemic irregularities that plagued the electoral process.

“We were not interested in the elections because the results were ready three months ago,” Pir Pagara declared. “Today, they have been exposed nationally and internationally.”

The GDA chief said that the coalition government would not last for more than 10 months in the current circumstances. Pir Pagara said that many youth came out on February 8 and voted for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) backed independent candidates across the country.

“No one was expecting the independent candidates to secure votes in massive numbers but for the first time in Pakistan’s history independent aspirants got the majority,” the GDA chief said.

Pir Pagara said that the PTI was ‘expelled’ from the electoral process on the basis of Intra-party elections. “I don’t consider Imran Khan a thief. If he is a thief, we all are thieves too,” the GDA chief said.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 17 2024

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