'Will never leave the field empty': PPP will contest Senate election, by-polls, says Murad

• Murad Ali Shah says PPP will "not leave the field open" for political opponents
• PPP lawmakers have submitted resignations to party leadership, says Murad

KARACHI: The PPP will "never leave the field open" for its opponents and will contest the upcoming Senate elections and by-polls, said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday. 

Read more: 159 Punjab Assembly MPAs have sent their resignations to me, says Maryam Nawaz

The PPP leader was speaking to reporters at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, where he had arrived to pay his respects to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on her 13th death anniversary. 

"We will participate in the Senate and by-elections. We will never leave the field empty," said the Sindh chief minister, adding that the PPP had never shied away from rendering sacrifices for democracy. 

Murad said the PPP lawmakers had submitted their resignations to Bilawal House and a decision to officially relinquish their positions in the Parliament would be taken at an appropriate time. 

Read more: Fazl, Maryam silence talk of 'dialogue' between govt and opposition

Hitting out at the PTI government, Murad said that his party had come to serve the people of Pakistan, "not play cricket". He said that PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto had called an important meeting of the party on December 29 to take important decisions, such as PPP's participation in the Senate elections. 

Security arrangements made for Benazir Bhutto's death anniversary

He said all arrangements had been made for the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto including the enforcement of safety precautions and the standard operating procedures (SOPs), while border areas would be monitored for security purposes.

The chief minister of Sindh said the PDM leadership will also attend the death anniversary and to ensure that the coronavirus does not spread, masks will be provided to participants.

Earlier, the chief minister, along with the Sindh cabinet members, paid a visit to Garhi Khuda Buksh, where he laid wreaths on the graves of Benazir Bhutto, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and others.

The chief minister later held a meeting in Naudero to review the security and other issues in connection with the 13th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto today.

He ordered the administration of Larkana to deploy police at different routes, install CCTV cameras as well as walkthrough gates at the mausoleum and to focus upon the entry of suspects.

159 Punjab Assembly MPAs have sent their resignations to me, says Maryam Nawaz

The PPP is not the only political party that has claimed that its lawmakers have submitted their resignations to the party's leadership. 

A day earlier, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz had said that she received the resignations of 159 out of 160 members of the Punjab Assembly.

Talking to media at Jati Umrah before leaving for Sukkur, Maryam had paid tribute to Benazir Bhutto, saying that she fought for democracy and gave her life for the country.

"Nawaz Sharif and Bibi Shaheed signed the Charter of Democracy for the country. Bilawal and I will move forward with the Charter of Democracy," she had said.

She had said, similar to the PPP, that the PML-N will decide when to submit the resignations to the National Assembly speaker.