Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah on Sunday tendered an apology to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for any “unpleasant incident” that he may have faced during his ongoing visit to Sindh.
His statements came after the PTI claimed its convoy was facing hurdles while on its way to Mazar-i-Quaid for a rally, and CM Afridi said he had to use risky routes on his way to Karachi from Hyderabad.
“I personally apologise if something [unpleasant] happened somewhere, as this should not happen,” Shah said during Geo News’ programme ‘Naya Pakistan’.
’’He is the chief minister of a province and whatever we did, the welcome and all, was in respect of the people of KP as he had their mandate,“ the PPP leader added.
Asked about the apparent change in the Sindh government’s attitude, Shah highlighted that the guests were “welcomed and taken care of”. He noted that the PTI sought permission to hold a rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah from the Sindh government “even though it falls under the federal government’s jurisdiction”.
He acknowledged that the PTI “adopted the proper procedure” to seek a no-objection certificate (NOC), which he said also caused delays. Then, the minister said, the issues arose when the NOC got delayed by about 1-1.5 hours, and the PTI announced that they would “hold the rally on a road”.
Shah added that the Sindh government had even offered the PTI to connect them to their vendors if the preparations were lacking.
The minister then pointed out CM Afridi’s “certain” statements, including one about President Asif Ali Zardari’s politics.
“There are no differences. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari sahib and President Asif Ali Zardari sahib are our PPP, the Sindh government. There is one stance,” he asserted.
Shah added that if President Zardari did not wish so, the PTI guests would not have been welcomed at the airport or facilitated. He said the PTI started making harsh statements, which also upset party members who noted the criticism despite offering them support.
Asked about the police action against PTI workers at Bagh-i-Jinnah during the early hours of Sunday, Shah said an inquiry was underway about what led to it.
He said the PTI was being urged to arrange the setup in the ground, but they were insistent on holding a gathering on the road.
On CM Afridi’s claims about his convoy being forced to take dangerous routes on his way to Karachi from Hyderabad, Shah said: “He had complete protocol, and as per the security threat issued, he was brought via the safest routes.
“Those were the safest routes, and police protection was with him,“ the PPP leader asserted.
“How could he have returned if there were pickets and if roads were blocked?” Shah asked rhetorically.
“As per the reports the administration has given, this protocol was adopted for their security and safety,“ the minister replied to a question about the police pickets set up.
On reports of shelling at Bagh-i-Jinnah during the day despite the NOC, Shah said, “Something unpleasant happened there.”
Criticising Zardari is our democratic right: Qaiser
Responding to Shah on the same show, senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser said, “We think that Sindh’s people and government respect democracy and […] they respect their opponents.”
He acknowledged that the PTI had differences with the PPP and concerns about it. “In our opinion, the illegitimate government in power right now is so because of their support,” he said.
“The legislation that they are doing. [Criticising it] is our stance. It is our democratic right to have whatever stance we want,” Qaiser stressed.
To a question raised by the host, Qaiser responded: “You and he (Shah) both understand what is happening from where. Will a democratic political party take instructions in this manner? Will we not have a say?”
Qaiser said the PTI respected the PPP, adding: “Even if you say that we criticised Zardari sahib, that is our democratic right.”
“Will this attitude continue? Is this democracy? […] Tell me, what unlawful [incident] has occurred over the past two days?“ Qaiser asked. He stressed the vendors needed two to three days to make arrangements at the venue, adding that there was “no lighting” at Bagh-i-Jinnah and that the Sindh government would be responsible for any unfortunate incident.
Responding to Qaiser, Shah pointed out the welcome accorded to CM Afridi on Friday, asking if it would have been given “if there were some instructions from somewhere”.
Shah also denied that the PPP “changed its strategy” because of the PML-N reportedly being criticised for its attitude towards the KP CM during his Lahore visit.
Last month, CM Afridi’s visit to Lahore — also undertaken for mass mobilisation — was marked with difficulties. Subsequently, he had written a letter to Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz complaining about the treatment meted out to him during his visit.
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