Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said the farm houses of opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, and those of people associated with him, were among the properties being razed in compliance with the Supreme Court's order.
Speaking to the media in Bhan Saeedabad, Jamshoro district, on Sunday, the CM said the farm houses were built on a piece of land which was leased for 30 years for agricultural purposes.
"You can't do commercial activities or build a farmhouse on that leased land," he maintained. "If someone wants to politicise this issue, it's up to them."
On Saturday the farm houses of Tariq Qureshi and Azeem Adil Sheikh in Malir, Karachi, were demolished during an anti-encroachment exercise.
The CM maintained the provincial government was implementing the apex court's order by carrying out the anti-encroachment operation and even centuries-old villages were facing the action.
"There is no question of political victimisation under the guise of anti-encroachment operation," he stressed.
Separately, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani told the media in Badin that constructing a farm house on land leased for agriculture, livestock or poultry purposes is itself unlawful. According to him, a house or a farmhouse cannot be built on land leased for a period of 30 years.
Read: ‘No political party being targeted in Malir operation’
"The anti-encroachment operation will not spare any illegal property, whether it belongs to someone from the PPP or the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf."
'Ordinance in violation of Constitution'
Speaking on Senate election, the CM contended that the PTI actually feared that the candidates who had received tickets from the party for the senate polls were unlikely to draw support even from the PTI's legislators in the provincial assemblies. He criticised the manner of haste in which the PTI earlier tabled a piece of legislation to amend the Constitution in favour of open voting and on Saturday night got an ordinance promulgated by President Dr Arif Alvi.
"I felt strange reading last night that the ordinance will become effective only after the Supreme Court gave a similar ruling."
At a press conference in Hyderabad on Sunday, PPP MNA Shazia Mari said PTI was trying to dictate the Supreme Court by promulgating the ordinance.
She argued that the ordinance violated the Constitution, Artice 226 of which calls for holding a secret ballot for Senate elections.
"It's an unconstitutional, unlawful and undemocratic act," The MNA said, adding that the PTI had made the institutions controversial by bypassing the parliament for legislation over such a vital issue.
"It took them just 12 minutes to pass that ordinance," she said.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2021.
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