Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) welcomes the announcement made by Imran Khan that Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) will field candidates against PPP’s President Asif Ali Zardari in Nawabshah and PPP’s Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Larkana, whether in by-elections or general elections.
“The PPP upholds and welcomes the democratic right of Imran Khan and indeed of anyone, to contest elections against its leaders anywhere and at any time in the country; and the party looks forward to a healthy democratic electoral contest in not too distant future”, said the Spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar in a statement on Sunday.
The PPP hopes and urges Imran Khan to firmly stand by his public pronouncement and not turn back on them, thereby exposing himself once again to the charges of making u-turns, he said.
There is an opportunity for Imran Khan to prove that he has jettisoned his past of making frequent u-turns and the PPP is more than happy to provide him with this opportunity, he added.
The spokesperson recalled that on the eve of threatened lock down of the capital, recently, Imran Khan refused to leave his Bani Gala residence for, as he himself later said, fear of being arrested.
He said PPP government in Sindh firmly believes in upholding democratic principles and traditions and it is inconceivable that the provincial government will arrest Imran Khan to stop him from contesting elections against party leaders.
Imran Khan can be sure that he will be able to freely contest elections in Sindh without fear or threat of being arrested.
This should serve as an added incentive to Imran Khan to contest elections either in person or through his candidates against the PPP leaders, he said.