Supreme Court moved for transfer of disqualification case against PPP ministers from high court

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking the transfer of a case from the high court with regard to the constitution of a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe into a senior police officer’s accusations that the Pakistan Peoples Party lawmakers and provincial ministers harbour dacoits and other criminals in Shikarpur and Mehmoodabad. The plea also sought their disqualification as parliament members.

Petitioner Syed Iqbal Kazmi submitted that former Shikarpur SSP Dr Rizwan Ahmed sent a report to the provincial police chief with regard to the alleged connection of PPP MPA Imtiaz Sheikh and his family and employees with dacoits and other criminals, accusing them of harbouring criminals of the area who were involved in heinous crimes.

He claimed that the PPP MPA was using his criminal wings against his political opponents and to create fear. He said that during his posting in the Jamshed Town area, SSP Ahmed had also sent a report to his high-ups claiming that MPA Saeed Ghani and his brother Farhan Ghani had links with criminal elements and drug smugglers of the area.

He alleged that MPA Ghani had used ill-gotten money from drugs to expand his properties’ empire from Chanesar Goth to Thatta although his father was a labour union leader and he had no inherited property or businesses prior to 2001 when he was elected a union council member.

Kazmi said PPP minister Saeed Ghani, instead of filing a reply to the court, only issued statements in media by ridiculing the police officer. The petitioner also expressed concern over the life of the police officer, saying it has been past practice that honest police officers had been victimised for speaking the truth against powerful influential persons.

He submitted that the petition was pending in the Sindh High Court for the last couple of months, and despite the issuance of notices to the respondents they did not file comments so as to delay the proceedings against them.

The court was requested to grant his transfer-of-case petition from the high court under Article 186-A of the constitution and constitute a JIT to investigate the allegations and disqualify the PPP MPAs as parliament members.