Haleem’s production order issued

KARACHI:

With the rift between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) deepening, Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani issued on Wednesday the production order of opposition leader in the provincial assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh.

Haleem - whose arrest on charges of rioting and violence during the PS-88 by-polls escalated tensions between the PPP, the ruling party in Sindh, and the PTI, which leads the opposition in the provincial assembly - will be required to attend the Sindh Assembly session today (Thursday), following the issuance of the production order.

Earlier, PTI lawmakers Khurram Sher Zaman, Bilal Ghaffar, Jamal Siddiqi, Shahzad Qureshi, Rabistan Khan, Dr Sanjay Gangwani, Dr Seema Zia, Adeeba Arif Hassan and Dua Bhutto submitted a resolution seeking the dismissal of Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mahar in the Sindh Assembly secretariat.

The lawmakers have demanded the dismissal of the Sindh police chief over what they dub "political retaliation" against PTI members.

'Politicised police'

Later, Zaman said while speaking to the media that the "PPP wants to make Sindh a police state."

He alleged that the ruling party in the province had been using the police for its personal gains.

"Everyone saw what role police played during the PS-88 by-poll," he said, adding that the "police seemed to be under pressure by the Sindh government." Zaman went on to claim that any policeman who dared to disobey the directive of the provincial government was transferred.

Accusing the PPP of destroying institutions in Sindh, he gave the example of the anti-corruption department.

"When we visited the office of the anti-corruption department, officials there told us they weren't provided any facilities," he claimed. "And the condition of the anti-corruption department is same as that of the Sindh police."

Also read: PTI stages protest calling for Haleem’s release

Then, directing his anger towards the Sindh IGP, he said the top cop had been prioritising facilitating the Sindh government over fulfilling his duties.

"The law and order situation in Sindh is deteriorating and [false] cases have been registered against us because we have exposed the PPP's incompetence and corruption in Sindh," added. "The way PTI members are being arrested and false cases are being registered against us shows that the PPP wants to move towards confrontation."

Lamenting that arrested PTI workers were not allowed to meet their families, he said it was for reasons like these that PTI MPAs had submitted a resolution seeking the IGP's dismissal.

"We had agreed to the appoint of Mushtaq Mahar as the IGP in hopes that it would improve the situation in Sindh… but the situation continues to deteriorate," he said.

Separately, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail told media persons that he had written a letter to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, asking him to dismiss the Sindh IGP.

He said he has sought a report from the CM on the matter.

The governor further said he had apprised the prime minister that the removal of the IGP from his post was necessary.

Oaths

In the assembly session today, the newly elected MPAs belonging to ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) will take oath so that they can take part in the Senate elections scheduled on March 3. The PPP's Jam Shabir won the PS 43 Sanghar seat while Yousaf Baloch emerged victorious in PS-88 Malir.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2021.