PTI protests against arrests of Haleem Adil Sheikh and workers, demands IGP’s removal

A large number of leaders and workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Tuesday gathered outside the Karachi Press Club to show their anger against the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government over an alleged ongoing crackdown on the party’s workers and the arrest and alleged mistreatment of Sindh Assembly opposition leader Haleem Adil Sheikh.

PTI lawmakers elected from Karachi, including former opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi, parliamentary leader Bilal Ghaffar, Karachi president Khurram Sherzaman, Saeed Afridi, Arsalan Taj, Jamal Siddiqui, Ramzan Ghanchi, Raja Azhar, Rabistan Khan, Riaz Haider, Adeel Ahmed, Dua Bhutto, and MNA Jay Parakash Lohana, attended the rally.

They condemned Sheikh’s arrest and harassment, which, they said, he continued to face during detention. They said fake terrorism cases registered against the PTI leader were a telling proof of the fear of him in the Sindh government.

Speakers alleged that the arrests of the opposition leader and other workers had been made under directives from Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. They recalled that earlier in February properties belonging to Sheikh and his family members were razed on the pretext of an anti-encroachment operation.

PTI leaders credited Sheikh for exposing mega corruption of billions of rupees of the PPP’s Sindh government. They also said that the way Sheikh was arrested during the by-election in Malir had laid bare the true face of the Pakistan Peoples Party. which continued to rule the Sindh province.

They also criticised Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Mahar and demanded of the federal government to change him immediately. Speakers expressed the hope that the prime minister, Imran Khan, would take strict notice of what had happened to Sheikh.