KARACHI: Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chair, condemned the arrest of Haleem Adil Sheikh, party MP and Sindh Assembly opposition leader who was recently taken into custody in connection with a land transaction.
Sheikh’s arrest is “pure fascism, reflecting the Zardari-Sharif mafia’s approach [sic] of eliminating those they cannot purchase [and] it is absolutely unacceptable in any democracy”, he said in a tweet.
Strongly condemn persecution & arrest of Sindh Opposition leader Haleem Adil Sheikh by Sindh govt. This is pure fascism, reflecting the Zardari-Sharif mafia’s approach of eliminating those they cannot purchase & it is absolutely unacceptable in any democracy.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 28, 2022
The characteristically strong-worded tweet came a day after the opposition MP was arrested in the Malir district by the Jamshoro chapter of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE).
He was later brought to Karachi and shifted to Aziz Bhatti police station in the Gulshan-i-Iqbal neighbourhood.
A first information report (FIR) lodged at Malir police station last Wednesday stated that Sheikh was booked under sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc) 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
It alleged MP had gotten 60 to 100 acres of land transferred through fake revenue entries. “The same was also leased for 30 years in Thana Bula Khan.”
It added that Sheikh caused losses to the public exchequer by manipulation, fraud and forgery in the official record.
Condemning the arrest, Asad Umar, party’s secretary general, called the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government in Sindh “worst tyrants possible”.
“These so-called democrats are the worst tyrants possible. The system of injustice perpetrated by them is collapsing and it’s only a matter of time before the power of the people brings this system to its end,” he said.
Leader of opposition in sind assembly haleem adil sheikh arrested again. These so called democrats are the worst tyrants possible. The system of injustice perpetrated by them is collapsing and it’s only a matter of time before the power of the people brings this system to its end
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) July 28, 2022
