KARACHI, July 7: Opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro on Thursday strongly condemned the shifting of Mohan Lal Meghwar, an interned PPP leader who held the post of nazim in Tharparkar until recently, from Nara Jail to Central Prison Hyderabad. Mr Khuhro appealed to the Election Commission to take suo motu notice of the move, and alleged that the internee was being tortured and pressured to force him join the Arbab Group.

In a statement issued through the PPP media cell at the Bilawal House, Mr Khuhro said that Mr Meghwar was standing by his political convictions despite being implicated in a false cases and moved from one jail to the other.

After being arrested on May 13 in a corruption case, involving an overdraft of salaries to the tune of Rs57,000, Mr Meghwar had to produce documentary proofs before an Anti-corruption court in Hyderabad that granted him bail, the statement recalled, adding that he had been arrested by the Anti-corruption Establishment from the Central Jail Hyderabad and moved to Mithi where another FIR had been registered against him. Describing the new FIR as based on false allegation, the statement deplored that the accused was again shifted to Nara Jail, Hyderabad, in mid-June. He was again granted bail but was not released as a third FIR was registered against him. His bail application in this case was pending before a court.

Mr Khuhro claimed that Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim was directly involved in the victimization of Mr Meghwar because his younger brother, Engineer Gian Chand, had contested election against Arbab Rahim in 2002.

“Such an inhuman and tyrant treatment to a PPP leader from a minority community needed a direct suo motu action by the Supreme Court,” he said.