Abuse of power?: Man allegedly tortured in Naudero

PPP city president denies any such incident took place.

NAUDERO: A man, Ali Raza Soomro, was allegedly tortured at the President House, Naudero, by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) city president Nisar Bhutto on Friday. The spokesperson of the president house, however, denied any such incident took place within its premises.

“Bhutto tortured me without any reason,” said Soomro, while protesting outside the Benazir Press Club, Naudero, on Friday. He claimed that he was a postgraduate and worked as a translator at the president house owing to his command over English. With his dress torn and body bearing torture marks, Soomro said that the beating was witnessed by Maqbool Mahesar, a computer operator at the house. “He dragged me and kicked me out in front of Mahesar.”



He also said that he has been performing his duties despite not being paid for the last few months and asked President Asif Ali Zardari to take notice of excesses at the president house.

Meanwhile, Bhutto told The Express Tribune that no such incident took place and called it a drama. “Soomro is mentally ill and this is merely an allegation,” he said.

“He was a poor man and I helped him find a job in a government office. I don’t know what has happened to him and why he is staging this drama.”

Ghulam Mustafa Laghari, the President House spokesperson, denied that Soomro worked as a translator at the house. “He is not part of our team.”



He also said that as per his knowledge Soomro was a personal servant of Bhutto and if he was tortured then it’s their personal matter and the President House has nothing to do with it. Some officials did add later that Bhutto was an influential person and the city president of the party, therefore no one will talk openly on the issue until and unless the president conducts an inquiry.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2013.