'Pure fascism': Imran condemns Sindh opposition leader's arrest

Former premier announces flood relief assistance for South Punjab, Balochistan

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has condemned the arrest of PTI member and opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh allegedly by the Pakistan Peoples Party- (PPP) led provincial government.

The former premier took to his official Twitter handle to “strongly condemn the persecution and arrest” of Haleem Adil.

Declaring the act to be “pure fascism”, Imran claimed that it reflected the Zardari-Sharif clan’s “mafia's approach of eliminating those they cannot purchase”, which he maintained was “absolutely unacceptable in any democracy”.

Strongly condemn persecution & arrest of Sindh Opposition leader Haleem Adil Sheikh by Sindh govt. This is pure fascism, reflecting the Zardari-Sharif mafia's approach of eliminating those they cannot purchase & it is absolutely unacceptable in any democracy.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 28, 2022

MPA Haleem Adil Sheikh was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) in a case pertaining to a land scam allegedly carried out over three decades ago in Malir, Karachi.

A team of ACE Karachi nabbed Sheikh on Wednesday around 3 pm from the ACE office in Jamshoro district where he had appeared to record his statement in another FIR of acquiring land allegedly in a fraudulent way in Jamshoro.

Read PTI stages walkout from Sindh PA

He has been accused of causing a loss of Rs160 million to the exchequer by forging the land record to get four acres of land and for further encroaching on another four acres of adjoining land. The land was obtained on a lease of 30 years for poultry farming but a farmhouse was later established in the name of palm village.

"Sheikh's life is under threat from the Sindh government," alleged Dua Bhutto, the PTI leader's wife in a video statement.

"He is being moved around in different areas of Sindh in a private vehicle and that too without security," she claimed. The ACE was supposed to shift him to Karachi where he would be produced before the concerned court for remand on July 28.

Flood relief

In another tweet, ex-prime minister Imran Khan stated that he had ordered the government of Punjab to “immediately provide flood assistance to ppl in the devasted areas of South Punjab” and affected regions of Mianwali.

I have called on govt of Punjab to immediately provide flood assistance to ppl in the devasted areas of South Punjab & in the affected areas of Mianwali distt. I have also asked the KP govt to immed provide flood relief to the ppl in affected areas of Balochistan.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 28, 2022

He added that he had asked the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to immediately “provide flood relief” to those in affected areas of Balochistan.

His statement comes after heavy monsoon rains caused flash floods, resulting to several deaths in various parts of the country.