CM Shah calls it ‘invasion of Sindh’, lashes out at NAB, FIA

Published August 29, 2015
KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah talks to Director General of Sindh Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar who called on him at the Chief Minister House here on Friday.—Online
KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah talks to Director General of Sindh Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar who called on him at the Chief Minister House here on Friday.—Online

KARACHI: In an uncharacteristic outburst of anger, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said on Friday that interference by federal agencies in the provincial government’s affairs amou­nted to “invasion of Sindh” and that he had already lodged a protest with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

This was his first reaction after the arrest of Dr Asim Hussain, the Chairman of Sindh’s Higher Education Commission.

“The arrest of Dr Asim is a major incident. It is unfair and regrettable that the agencies concerned, which are legally bound to take me into confidence before arresting the person of such a calibre, did not inform me,” he told reporters after inaugurating the Begum Nusrat Bhutto underpass on Sharea Faisal near Mehran Hotel.

Answering a question, he said he had protested to the federal government when the FIA and NAB raided the Civic Centre and took away files of record in a truck. He said he had raised the issue with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and then with the prime minister at a recent meeting of the apex committee.

“The prime minister told me that he was not aware of the action and assured me of addressing our grievances, but even then raids on the Civic Centre are continuing,” he added.

Mr Shah, who is also President of PPP Sindh, said that soon after the arrest of Dr Asim he had spoken to the corps commander and the director general of Rangers who told him that there were serious complaints against him. “But when they sent me details of the complaints against Dr Asim I found them to be of general nature and without any concrete substance.”

He said the DG Rangers had met him earlier in the day (Friday) and briefed him on the complaints. “I told him that I should have been informed about the complaints, but this was not done,” he said, adding that the Rangers chief had assured him that he would be informed before taking such actions in future and the issue would be resolved.

The chief minister said that after his talks with the DG Rangers he was optimistic about the release of Dr Asim “with due respect” soon.

He said the complaints against Dr Asim should have been properly investigated before arresting him. “This procedure was not followed. This is not fair and it has invited the wrath of my party,” he said.

He said his party was angry with him over the action taken against Dr Asim and held him responsible because he was the chief exe­cutive of the province. “Being an elected chief minister and head of the provincial apex committee I should have been consulted,” he added.

KARACHI OPERATION: The chief minister said that as far as the Karachi operation was concerned the DG Rangers and IG police were under his command because he was responsible for the operation.

Over the past two years there had been a sharp decline in incidents of target killings, extortion, kidnapping for ransom and terrorist activities. This was conceded also by the army chief during his recent visit to Karachi when he expressed satisfaction over the law and order situation in the city.

The chief minister said that several major projects in Sindh were about to be completed and work on many others was about to be initiated.

He said the Sindh government had been assigned four tasks – to curb incidents of target killings, kidnappings for ransom, terrorism and extortion. And within two years, he claimed, the tasks had been by and large completed under the supervision of the apex committee and with the help of Rangers, police and intelligence agencies.

He said that terrorism plagued not only Karachi but almost the entire country and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the worst affected.

The underpass inaugurated by the chief minister was completed in record 130 days at a cost of Rs 588.4 million. The project financed by the Sindh government was executed by the KMC.

Commissioner and Administrator Karachi Shoaib Sidiqui briefed the chief minister on salient features of the project. He thanked Commander Karachi Vice Admiral Syed Arifullah Hussaini for his support.

Minister for Local Bodies Nasir Hussain Shah praised the efforts and hard work of the KMC.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.