Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon addresses the press conference in Karachi on Tuesday. Photo: Express
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Tuesday accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of trying to repeat the events of May 9 during Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s recent visit to Karachi. He said the provincial government showed restraint and refrained from registering any case despite repeated provocations.
Last week, CM Afridi visited Sindh, held a rally in Karachi and also visited Hyderabad and Jamshoro during his four-day tour. The rally, originally scheduled for Bagh-e-Jinnah, was disrupted en route, with the PTI claiming that authorities had blocked key routes to prevent party workers from reaching the venue and had placed containers along the CM’s route. Despite the roadblocks, the overwhelming turnout at the venue forced him to address supporters at Numaish Chowrangi instead.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Memon said the Sindh government showed patience and tolerance, but its decency was exploited. He made it clear that the provincial administration would not allow any wheel stoppage strike on February 8.
Memon said that a few days earlier, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister had visited Karachi and the Sindh government, on learning about the visit, contacted him to ensure full security and necessary facilities. He added that a threat alert had also been received in advance but was deliberately not made public to prevent anyone from exploiting the situation.
According to the Information Minister, Sindh Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah had contacted the PTI leadership and the discussions initially continued in a positive environment. “Provincial Minister Saeed Ghani welcomed the PTI leaders and on the first day it was agreed that certain areas would be visited while others would be avoided due to security concerns,” he said. But he added that the PTI leaders proceeded to District Central despite being informed otherwise.
Read: KP CM thanks people of Sindh, criticizes provincial government over PTI treatment
“What would the Sindh government have achieved if you were stuck for a few hours?” asked Memon. “What would we gain by keeping you stuck in traffic for four hours?”
Referring to permission for a PTI rally, Memon said approval had been sought verbally and had already been given. He added that within five minutes of receiving written permission, PTI leaders issued a statement announcing that they would not hold the rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah and would instead organize it on the road. He said that before a rally at Bagh-i-Jinnah, the traffic police is preparing a comprehensive plan and Nasir Shah had even offered the KP Chief Minister additional support, including manpower if required.
Alleging that the PTI was once again trying to stage an incident similar to May 9, Memon alleged that despite stone-pelting on the police, vandalism of media vehicles and misbehaving with women journalists, the Sindh government did not register any case. Describing such behavior as part of PTI’s political tradition, he said it reflected a mindset shaped by leadership that fosters chaos and rebellion.
Despite these incidents, he said, no case was registered against the PTI. “Their politics is based on disorder while ours is democratic,” Memon said, adding that the decency of the provincial government was unfairly exploited. Accusing the PTI of conspiring against Pakistan and its institutions, he said that despite hospitality and clear ideological differences, the Sindh government responded with restraint.
Reiterating his stance, the Information Minister said that the Sindh government would not allow a wheel stoppage strike on February 8.
Also read: Government reprimands CM Afridi for remarking evidence
Memon said that PTI leaders were given respect which they themselves had never extended to the provincial government. He added that Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s schedule was already fixed, yet a message was conveyed that if he could not come, the Sindh leadership was willing to visit instead.
He further alleged that PTI deliberately chose prohibited routes and places, tried to enter areas where permission had been denied and violated administrative instructions. “The question is what mission they were on; only God knows,” he said, adding that the PTI later raised objections after deliberately using restricted routes.
The information minister also criticized the previous PTI-led government’s policy regarding militant groups and asked if people had forgotten discussions about opening Taliban offices in Pakistan. He questioned who had ordered the release of Taliban leaders arrested during the tenure of the Pakistan People’s Party. “During the PPP government, operations were carried out against the Taliban, but after Imran Khan took power and Shah Mahmood Qureshi became the foreign minister, the same Taliban leaders were released,” he said.
He claimed that convicted persons and detainees were released without following legal procedures or approaching the courts. “If a government wants to release convicted persons, it must follow the law and the courts,” he said, adding that during that period the courts were bypassed and Taliban leaders were released.
