PTI to contest NA-245 Karachi by-election

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced to contest by-election on NA-245 seat that fell vacant after the death of PTI lawmaker Dr Amir Liaquat Hussain, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference today, PTI leader and former Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said that the party will contest the NA-245 election, pointing out that all political parties, including MQM, have been rejected by the citizens.

He termed the Pakistan People’s Party-led (PPP) Sindh government as ‘oppressive’, saying that despite being in government for 14 years, they have failed to provide basic necessities to the citizens.

Imran Ismail further said that fake cases were being registered against PTI Member of Sindh Assembly (MPA) Haleem Adil Sheikh. He also criticised the incumbent government for firing tear gases at the PTI protestors during the Long March.

“The PTI government had not resisted or fired tear gases when these people staged protest and launched long march in our tenure,” he said, adding that they did not imprisoned anyone for protesting.

The former governor also criticised the government for raising prices of petroleum products, saying that an average person cannot bear the burden of the rising inflation. “PTI was considering not taking the next grant from International Monetary Fund (IMF),” he added.

Imran Ismail added that PTI would hold nationwide protests against inflation tomorrow (Sunday) as the economy was destroyed within two-month tenure of the incumbent government. “If these people continue to rule even for a few months, the country would suffer huge losses,” he concluded.