SHC seeks report against energy minister

SHC withdrew earlier directives

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court directed Sindh Advocate-General Salman Talibuddin on Tuesday to finalise the report on provincial Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh and his alleged links with criminal elements.

The provincial counsel stated before the court that the police committee formed to investigate the matter had completed its report but had not signed it due to the directives issued by the court earlier.

Sheikharpur SSP Rizwan [who had levelled the allegations against the minister] has been transferred from Sindh police and the new police committee will submit its findings on the allegations against Shaikh, said the counsel. The police can take action according to law, he added.

The petitioner's lawyer, advocate Amir Mansoob, maintained that the former IGP had directed constituting a JIT to probe into the matter, but the new IGP formed a three-member police committee instead.

Advocate Talibuddin asked why legal action wasn't initiated when SSP Rizwan had information against Shaikh. Who prevented him from taking action, he asked, adding that ministers could not be declared ineligible on the basis of an SSP's reports.

The court withdrew its earlier directives, and directed the police committee to finalise its report against the senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17^th, 2020.