Sindh minister harbouring dacoits, alleges police report

SUKKUR/KARACHI: The Shikarpur Police have accused Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh of being responsible for its failure of operations in the Katcha area against criminals, saying that the provincial minister was harboring them. The police said Imtiaz’s brother and son were also in touch with criminals.

Sources said that SSP Shikarpur Dr. Rizwan had sent a 20-page secret report to IGP Sindh and DIGP Larkana, containing serious and explosive charges against the Minister for Energy and Power Imtiaz Shaikh for leaking police action in advance to dacoit gangs in Shikarpur.

The SSP recommended action against him. The report discloses that the criminals in the Katcha area had disturbed the peace of Shikarpur district and Imtiaz Shaikh was harbouring them.

According to sources, SSP Rizwan in his report had said that the police officers were appointed using the minister's influence who leaked the information about the police’s operational strategy against the criminals.

He underlined that as a result of leaking the sensitive information, many police operations against criminals in the thick forest failed. The report claimed that provincial Minister Imtiaz Shaikh remained in contact with the criminals of Katcha through different numbers. It claimed the police had evidence and recordings of phone calls made to criminals. In one of the phone calls, the minister contacted the most-wanted criminal Atto Shaikh.

SSP Dr Rizwan further revealed that criminals were provided asylum at the hotel, petrol pumps, guest house and Shaikh's own farmhouse. He further said that Maqbool Shaikh, the brother of Imtiaz Shaikh, and son Faraz Shaikh remained in touch with criminals and provided phone call evidence and recordings.

Imtiaz Shaikh, he alleged, was operating a criminal wing to victimize his political opponents and used it attack the polio team to prove that the Shikarpur Police was unable to control the law and order situation. He also accused Imtiaz Shaikh for plotting the murder of the son of his political opponent Shah Nawaz Brohi.

The police report provides details of Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh using proclaimed offenders as his personal gunman and was allegedly patronizing drug peddlers at Chingi Muqam in Shikarpur city. Furthermore, Imtiaz Sheikh manipulates police transfer and postings by pressurising key officers like SHOs and getting officers of his choice posted for gaining their loyalty. Imtiaz Shaikh, according to the report got appointed 115 policemen appointed as constables or head clerks at different police stations who send sensitive information to Shaikh. His “planted cops” spy on the minister’s political opponents and inform them of their plans against him. His gunmen and criminals were found having connections to the notorious dacoits of the riverine areas. Even he did not keep himself away from interference in connection with martyred Inspector Rao Shafiullah case.

The SSP Shikarpur, Dr. Rizwan, said in his report that after taking charge of the district, he conducted raids and finally arrested the accused, Abdul Wahid, s/o Gulam Ali Teghani, and Imran, s/o Ghulam Hussian Teghani, who are the cousins of Sardar Tegho Khan Teghani, who happens to be Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh’s right hand man.

The most wanted criminals behind kidnappings and robberies in the Shikarpur district are criminals of the Teghani gang. In this way, both Sheikh and Teghani criminals jointly committed crimes to pressurize and defame him i.e. SSP Shikarpur.

The SSP Shikarpur’s report discloses interesting information about Javed Ahmed Sheikh who is the PA of Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh. Javed is a local from Shikarpur. Javed, the report alleges not only calls criminals, conveys them the messages of his boss but also arranges all facilities ordered by the energy minister. He even sends police mobiles to bring wanted criminals to meet Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh.

As an evidence of the wide influence the minister wields, the SSP pointed out that he facilitated a serious offender Mohammad Sallah Shahliani Jamali, a prisoner in the Shikarpur District Jail, who is involved in killing five police officers. “He enjoys VIP protocol in district prison and used to go to the ATC Court Larkana for his trial in his own personal Vigo in company of personal guards.” When this came into the notice of officers, strict measures were taken and on 3rd December, 2019 (date of his appearance in the ATC court), he was handcuffed and made to sit in a government vehicle rather than his own vehicle Vigo. The report goes on to charge that the minister got Dr Javeed Ahmed Shaikh, appointed at the district Jail of Shikarpur to provide facilities to Mohammad Sallah Shahliani. The report accuses Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh and another PPP leader Aijaz Ahmed Jakhrani of committing crimes in both districts, Shikarpur and Jacobabad.

The police report alleges that Sardar Tegho Khan Teghani, the right hand of Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, along with the most notorious and notified criminal Belo Teghani use Garhi Tegho Katcha, Garhi Tegho and Kot Shahoo Katcha as their hideouts for keeping abducted people. These hideouts are used for launching crimes not only the district Shikarpur, but also Kandhot and Kashmore and Sukkur. Abdul Nabi Teghani, cousin of Tegho Khan Teghani and contractor of Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, is another supporter who not only provides shelter to tribal criminals but also provides money to the Shaikh’s gang of criminals. The minister has used vast amounts of money and political influence to strengthen his gangs and build his control in the lawless area. The gangs strongly control the area making it difficult for the police force to operate there.

Meanwhile, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh has rejected the allegations leveled against him by SSP Shikarpur and retorted that SSP Shikarpur’s campaign against him and his family is an attempt to secure “cheap publicity”.

Speaking at an urgently called press conference here on Thursday, Sindh energy minister said that people of Shikarpur had thrice elected him to Sindh Assembly and no police officer could tarnish his credibility through such serious allegations.

The minister charged that the SSP in question was involved in incidents of smuggling, kidnapping for ransom, and theft. Shaikh said the everybody knows that the SSP Shikarpur had faced the charge of pilferage of petrol. The minister said that a “Secret Police report” issued against him had already lost its credibility as before its transmission to the DIG and IG, its contents were leaked to the media. He said that the secret report had unduly implicated him and his son in criminal activities. Terming the secret report, as baseless, Imtiaz said it didn’t even contain any signatures and the phone numbers mentioned in the report do not belong to his family, and as such the report in question had lost its credibility. He claimed that there was nothing confidential about the “Secret report” as it was doing rounds on the social media and was also sent to his political rivals even before its transmission to the relevant DIG.

Imtiaz Shaikh announced to move the court against the initiators of the report. He said the people of Shikarpur are fully aware about his conduct as he was elected thrice to the Sindh assembly from a constituency where contesting elections was a difficult task. Shaikh said that before joining cabinet, he had earlier served as the special assistant to the Prime Minister and holding such coveted positions was not possible without clearance by the intelligence and secret agencies regarding his conduct. He said the police report was compiled on 14th January just a day before the meeting of Sindh cabinet, which showed that these allegations had nothing to do with reality.

The provincial minister said he had earlier complained to the provincial cabinet, chief minister, relevant DIG, and even to the IG Sindh about worsening law and order situation in his native District Shikarpur but to no avail.

To a question, the provincial minister said the Sindh chief minister while using his prerogative had probed into the conduct of SSP Shikarpur and ordered his transfer.