Zaidi dismisses Sindh IG kidnapping as ‘nonsense narrative’

A senior member of the federal cabinet has dismissed as “nonsense narrative” a claim by the Sindh government that the provincial police chief was kidnapped and forced into ordering FIR against Capt (retd) Safdar, the husband of Maryam Nawaz, Monday morning.

“[The] Sindh govt [is] trying to distance themselves from the FIR & arrest of Capt. Safdar. M. Zubair selling nonsense narrative that CM Sindh told him IG was kidnapped & forced to register FIR,” Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi wrote in a series of tweets.

“If this is true then [the] CM Sindh must fire [the] IG Sindh or resign himself as his orders were followed,” he added.

Zaidi also called upon Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to “immediately & publicly reject Muhammad Zubair’s comments attributed to him” regarding the alleged kidnapping of the provincial police chief.

It was Muhammad Zubair, former Sindh governor and spokesperson for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, who first sent out a voice message to media persons quoting the Sindh CM as saying that the IGP was kidnapped by the Rangers after he had refused to act against Capt Safdar.

Zaidi regretted that Zubair and the PML-N were decrying the arrest of Capt Safdar as “state terrorism”. He wrote on the popular micro-blogging site: “If arresting a criminal is state terrorism, then what was the Model Town massacre by police under Shahbaz [Sharif] when direct firing was done on pregnant women, children & elderly? Was that a training exercise?”

The maritime affairs minister also regretted that certain elements in the media and opposition parties were unsuccessfully trying to confuse the issue of Capt Safdar’s arrest. “Instead of focusing on the crime that was committed, they are asking how Capt Safdar was charged & arrested. Your nonsense won’t sell any more,” he wrote.