Sindh nationalist leaders face NCCIA inquiry

Chandio refuses to appear, says ready to face arrest; Palijo to attend inquiry on Monday

HYDERABAD:

Jeay Sindh Mahaz (JSM) Chairman Riaz Ali Chandio has rejected a summons issued by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over alleged anti-state social media posts, saying he will not appear before the inquiry even if he is arrested upon his return to Pakistan later this month.

Chandio, who also heads the Jeay Sindh Rahbar Committee, has been directed to appear before NCCIA Inspector Muhammad Amin Khan on August 10 - the same day Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) president Barrister Ayaz Latif Palijo has been summoned by the agency.

Unlike Palijo, who has decided to appear before the inquiry officer, Chandio said he would not respond to the cybercrime notice or visit any police station in connection with the case. "The JSM has decided that we will not respond to the cybercrime notice and that I will not go to any police station in connection with the notice," he said.

Chandio said the JSM believed in the rule of law and a non-violent political struggle, but described the notice as an attempt at political victimisation and an effort to silence political expression.

Both Chandio and Palijo have linked the notices to their opposition to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's proposal for creating administrative units within the provinces. The two leaders have opposed any move that they believe could lead to the division of Sindh into two or more provinces, while also reiterating their opposition to the proposed canals project on the Indus River.

Chandio said millions of people in Sindh had resolved not to compromise on their demands for progress, development, justice, democracy and an autonomous Sindh. "We will not accept the breaking of Sindh into pieces or the imposition of slavery and humiliation on its people," he said.

He alleged that the establishment wanted to divide Sindh to gain greater control over the province's oil, gas, water, minerals and other natural resources.

The JSM chairman praised Palijo for what he described as his role as a "son of the soil" and expressed solidarity with others in Sindh opposing the division of the province and what they termed the exploitation of its resources. Chandio also recalled that Sindh had joined the federation of Pakistan in accordance with the spirit of the Lahore Resolution of 1940.

Meanwhile, a QAT spokesperson told The Express Tribune that Palijo would appear before the NCCIA inquiry officer in Karachi on August 10.