ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf has not taken party leaders from interior Sindh into confidence while making important decisions especially the appointment of governor in the province.
Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan has nominated Imran Ismail as new Governor of Sindh and Haleem Adil Shiekh as opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly. “A group of Karachi-based leaders is calling the shots when it comes to PTI’s decisions in Sindh,” a PTI leader told The Nation on condition of anonymity. He said that the PTI members from the interior Sindh are seen nowhere despite the fact they did well in the elections.
Interior Sindh is considered as the political bastion of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). However, the PTI has challenged the PPP in its home and has won some seats as well.
PTI has won 14 seats of the National Assembly from Karachi and only one from the interior Sindh where Muhammad Mian Soomro, former chairman Senate, defeated a former federal minister of the PPP in July 25 elections.
Well-placed sources in PTI said that the party finalised the list of women candidates for reserved seats in the National Assembly without the input from interior Sindh leaders.
They said that PTI candidates who contested election in interior Sindh met PTI Chairman Imran Khan at his Banigala residence under the leadership of Muhammad Mian Somro and briefed the party chief over rigging in elections while recording their reservations over party leadership silence.
“PTI leaders from Karachi do not want to see representation of Interior Sindh in the federal cabinet,” a PTI leader told The Nation.
He said PTI chief should convey Sindh leadership to stand with rural leadership of the party in province and also consider its suggestions in party matters at the provincial level.
He said that PTI performed in Karachi well and its next target should be Sindh province where party’s presence is visible at every level. Our leadership ignored interior Sindh before elections and it did not visit Sindh during election campaign.
On the other hand, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari only focused in rural areas of the province and led party campaign from the front, he added.
