Naqvi slams PPP, police for giving peace award to ‘killer’ feudal

Teghani is accused of involvement in DSP's murder in 2019, abetting criminal elements

KARACHI: Opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi slammed on Sunday the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led provincial government for awarding a police peace award to Sardar Tegho Khan Tehgani who has been facing allegations of harbouring and abetting criminal elements.

"Sindh IGP is rather working as PPP's IGP," said Naqvi during a press conference, denouncing the decision to present a peace award to Teghani and demanding that it be withdrawn as Shikarpur SSP Dr Rizwan Ahmed Khan had already issued a report disclosing his misdeeds.

Naqvi claimed that more than 40 FIRs were registered against Teghani, including those pertaining to murder, abduction and ransom.

Accusing Teghani of having colluded with Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, who is also accused of facilitating criminal elements, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker mentioned of his alleged involvement in a police officer's killing.

"Teghani was charged with a DSP's murder in 2019," he said, further alleging that he was involved in murders of 70 people, including 12 policemen.

Naqvi appealed to the Sindh High Court to take suo moto notice of the matter.

Budget tirade

Besides, PTI leader Haleem Adil Shaikh, who also addressed the press conference, maintained that the federal government had to pay Rs1,500 billion last year on account of loans acquired by previous governments and another Rs2,700 billion had to be appropriated for the same purpose in this year's budget.

"And after disbursing funds among province, the Centre itself has been left with just Rs2,000 billion," he said, adding that the federal government hadn't taken a rupee's worth of loan from the State Bank of Pakistan for the budget.

Responding to criticism of the country's declining economy, Sheikh, while referring to reports released by Moody's Investors Service and the International Monetary Fund, said that Pakistan's economy was on the rise until last year and following the outbreak of the coronavirus had been able to sustain a loss of Rs3,000 billion.

But the PPP has been critical of the budget as taxes have been increased on luxurious items and daily-use products are made cheaper, he said.

"While the cost of Vigo vehicles has been increased following the budget, the Sindh government has bought these vehicles at a cost Rs150 million on the pretext of killing locusts," he said, adding that the federal government had given Sindh an aircraft for aerial spraying around 15 days ago, but it continued to idle at Sukkur airport as the provincial government hadn't arranged for fuel to fly the plane.

Defending the government's decision of not increasing employees' salaries, Sheikh said that at least they would be getting their salaries, given the state of affairs following the coronavirus pandemic.

The MPA also held the PPP responsible for the deaths of four labourers who died as a consequence of a well collapse in Thar and questioned how many ventilators in Sindh were actually in working condition. Sheikh said that people in the province were deprived of proper healthcare, claiming that they were "admitted to hospitals only after phone calls from the Chief Minister's House are made."

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2020.