PPP’s JIT report is ‘fake’, claims PTI leader

In another addition to the slew of allegations that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have been levelling against each other, PTI leader Haleem Adil Shaikh claimed on Wednesday that the JIT report on Lyari gang war leader Uzair Baloch released by the PPP-led Sindh government was fake.

"It is PTI's Ali Zaidi who has the real JIT report, bearing the signatures of two police officials," he claimed during a press conference, accusing the PPP of "fooling the public for the past five days,"

Shaikh went on to say that Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab would read to the public any paper handed over to him, implying that details about the report revealed by Wahab to the public were untrue.

"Now the Supreme Court will decide which of the reports is real and the real face of those who changed [facts in] the JIT report will be exposed soon," he remarked.

Further raising questions over the PPP being committed to taking criminals to tasks, he asked, "Has any action been taken against police officers who assisted Baloch? Have the plots occupied by Baloch been vacated? What action has been taken against people who laundered money for Baloch? Why did PPP leaders Faryal Talpur and Qaim Ali Shah use to meet Baloch?"

Speaking on the matter of the Baldia factory fire tragedy, the PTI MPA termed the event "the worst manifestation of criminal politics in Karachi."

"The victims are awaiting justice even eight years after the incident," he said, alleging that the PPP and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London were behind the arson.

He claimed that the FIR for the fire was erroneous and called for taking action against elements behind the registration of the faulty FIR.

On power cuts and rain

Moving to the power crisis gripping Karachi, he said that the PPP government, under the leadership of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, had handed over the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation - now K-Electric (KE) - to The Abraaj Group in 2009, and while the conglomerate was to keep control of the utility until 2023, Karachiites would continue to pay the price of the "shoddy" deal between the two parties.

Shaikh accused KE of "extorting money from citizens" and said that the PTI would make sure that KE owners were held accountable and not allowed to flee.

Quoting Federal Energy Minister Omar Ayub, he said that KE had to invest $2 billion in the city's electricity infrastructure, but it had not done so.

Holding the "corrupt" PPP responsible from Karachiites being troubled due to rain, he said that the World Bank had given the Sindh government funds for cleaning drains but no one knew where the money was spent.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2020