Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon on Tuesday assailed the PTI for not honouring commitments made in preparation for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s recent Sindh visit.
Memon’s comments come a day after the KP CM concluded his visit to the province. On Monday, the chief minister decried the treatment of him and his entourage in Karachi, saying that the provincial government had “desecrated” the honour of the Sindhi ajrak and topi.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Memon expressed his view that the PTI “did not care for the respect they had been accorded during the visit”.
“We do not care about their speeches; however, violations were committed, and all they did was blame the Sindh government.”
Addressing the events that transpired during the KP CM’s visit, Memon said that the Sindh government was in contact with representatives from the KP government, and the two had “chalked out” the schedule for the visit.
A schedule shared by the PTI at the outset of the visit included a meeting with Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah. However, it did not take place.
Memon maintained that the PTI “violated every commitment they made earlier”.
“There was a threat alert issued as well by security institutions; we did not disclose it to the public; however, the KP government was informed,” the minister said.
He said that, keeping in view the security situation, Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah assured the delegation of protection and facilities, but he urged them “not to engage in anything that disrupts daily life and puts the safety of the delegation at risk”.
Memon recalled: “The first day, they were informed by Nasir Shah sahib to stay clear of certain areas, considering the threat, yet in the evening, they were seen in the District South“.
The Sindh government had permitted the PTI to hold a rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah.
However, the PTI, citing a delay in receiving the permit, announced a change in venue, saying it would stage the gathering at one of the gates of Mazar-i-Quaid. Finally, CM Afridi briefly addressed hundreds near Mazar-i-Quaid.
The Sindh minister further told the media, “Security plans are pre-decided before any such events […] to prevent any unfortunate incidents”.
“When they went to Hyderabad, they took an unapproved route on their way back to Karachi,” he added, contrary to Afridi’s claims of his convoy being forced to take such a route due to roadblocks.
The minister detailed that the PTI delegation took the route of the Hyderabad Bridge, where Memon said the delegation “got stuck in traffic for a couple of hours”.
Nasir had also refuted Afridi’s claims, saying that police accompanied the KP CM on his way to Karachi via the “safest routes”.
The minister recalled that in Hyderabad, the PTI began “criticising the Sindh government again and started name-calling”, apparently referring to CM Afridi’s comment about President Asif Ali Zardari.
“What do you think the Sindh government is going to gain if you get stuck in traffic for a few hours? What benefit will we get out of this teasing?” the minister questioned.
“If our behaviour had been similar to that of PTI in the past, we would not have welcomed them at all,“ Memon added.
“You (PTI) were planning to cause mischief […] we told them that ‘please only do what has already been approved’,” the senior minister said.
Memon said that the Sindh government gave PTI “full assurances and facilitated them”, but they took “unfair advantage” of it.
