Sindh CM's ex-adviser arrested for 'possessing drugs'

HYDERABAD:

A former adviser to the Sindh chief minister has been arrested for 'possessing narcotics'. Ismail Dahiri was taken into custody by A-Section police on Autobahn Road after allegedly recovering narcotics from his vehicle during a snap-checking on Friday night.

Alongside Dahiri, his gunman, Inayat Otho, was also arrested for allegedly carrying an unlicensed automatic rifle. Both were booked under the Narcotics and the Sindh Arms acts. Police claim they have recovered five kilograms of hashish from Dahiri's unregisterd SUV.

On Saturday, Dahiri and Otho were presented before Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate Aashiq Ali, who remanded them to judicial custody at Central Prison. The judge denied the police request for a 14-day physical remand.

Dahiri, who recently criticised the PPP after being denied a ticket to contest elections from Nawabshah, accused Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar of orchestrating his arrest. "Other SSPs refused to arrest me, but Lanjar's nephew, SSP Hyderabad Farrukh Ali Lanjar, did it," he alleged. Dahiri also claimed that he was subjected to torture while in custody, saying he was locked in a toilet overnight and no water and food was provided.

Dahiri further stated that police pressured him to apologise to Lanjar, but he refused, asserting that he had done nothing wrong. He recounted a time when Lanjar, who once worked for him as a lawyer, was less influential, claiming he had introduced Lanjar to MPA Faryal Talpur. He lamented the lack of respect for long-time PPP supporters, suggesting the party now promotes falsehoods and suppresses the truth. Advocate Farhad Abro, Dahiri's counsel, informed the media that his client's driver and an assistant who were traveling with him are currently missing. He expressed concern for their safety, fearing they could be harmed in a fake encounter or coerced into framing Dahiri in a false case.