ISLAMABAD: Leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) from Sindh have expressed serious concern over the human rights situation in the province, alleging that “influential people” are patronising and protecting criminals.

Speaking at a news conference at the National Press Club here on Tuesday, parliamentary secretary for human rights in the National Assembly Lal Chand Malhi and secretary general of the party’s Sindh chapter and MPA Haleem Adil Sheikh accused the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh of using police “to crush political opponents”.

Referring to the honour-killing of 13-year-old girl Ramsha Wassan in Khairpur and the suspicious murder of nationalist leader Irshad Ranjhani in Karachi, Mr Malhi said the two incidents had created a sense of insecurity among the people of Sindh.

Accuses PPP of using police ‘to crush political opponents’

“People’s rights are being snatched. We have very serious concerns over the situation in Sindh. The people of whole province are in a state of mourning over the two recent murders,” he said.

Mr Malhi alleged that main accused Zulfiqar Wassan, who had allegedly killed Ramsha, was a professional criminal and was already facing 19 cases on murder, robbery and Hudood charges. He alleged that Zulfiqar Wassan had been carrying out criminal activities in the area for the past 22 years, but police had not been able to put hands on him.

The MNA, who belongs to Umerkot, called for formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate Zulfiqar Wassan and to find out those people who had been patronising and protecting him for the past 22 years.

“How a person had been allowed to commit crime continuously for 22 years? Who provided him protection? Who were the police officials who did not take any action against a criminal? All these people must be exposed so that in future, no Ramsha-like case can happen,” Mr Malhi said.

He claimed that Ramsha’s mother had told them that she was feeling insecure in the area and wanted to move to a safe place. He alleged that PPP MNA from the area Dr Nafeesa Shah could not visit the place for one week due to the fear that had gripped the whole area after the incident.

Mr Malhi also criticised the role of the Sindh police in handling the Irshad Ranjhani murder case. He said Mr Ranjhani, who was a nationalist leader, was taken to the police station instead of a hospital after he received multiple bullet wounds due to the firing by a politician. He said the police claimed that Irshad Ranjhani was a criminal and he had died during a robbery attempt. He said that even if he was a criminal, he should have been provided medical aid.

The PTI MNA said that the provincial government had already written a letter to the registrar of the Sindh High Court for holding a judicial inquiry into the incident, but police and some circles were still propagating that Irshad Ranjhani was a criminal.

Speaking on the occasion, Haleem Adil Sheikh expressed the hope that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari would take notice of the two incidents after becoming chairman of the NA Committee on Human Rights.

He said the PPP had already been turned into a provincial party from a federal entity and soon it would be restricted to a few constituencies.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2019