HYDERABAD: Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh has said that federal government has surpassed all records of vindictive actions against opposition leaders as this regime has put even journalists and politicians in jails and conspiracy is being hatched to pit Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf against army.

He was speaking to journalists at sessions court after appearing before special judge of anticorruption (provincial) on Thursday for confirmation of the pre-arrest bail in a land transaction case. The court adjourned the case’s hearing till Aug 19.

He said the government was bent on victimising the opposition. This imported government was appeasing its foreign masters after loss in by-election, he said.

Haleem sees plot to pit PTI against army

PTI was the largest party of the country and attempts were being made under a conspiracy to pit it against army, he said.

He said that army stood by Pakistani nation. This imported government which had been rejected by people had first levelled accusations at judiciary. Shahbaz Gill was facing allegations that were not based on merit hence he must be given right to defence, he said.

Nawaz Sharif had directly addressed a senior army officer by name and used unfair language against him but he was spared. Maryam Nawaz, Ayaz Sadiq, Pervez Rasheed were part of conspiracy aimed at weakening Pakistan army, he said.

Asif Zardari had issued statements to weaken the army because they were all part of a mafia that believed in undermining institutions while PTI believed in a strong army, he said.

He said that conspiracy against PTI would fail and warned those who were hatching this conspiracy were playing with the very integrity of the country as it was climax of regime change operation.

Sheikh said that FIR about a land transaction of 1987 lodged against him was false. The FIR was lodged in the morning in Jamshoro and he was arrested in Lahore the same afternoon, he said.

He said that high court had granted him bail with directives to have his statement recorded before anticorruption officials. When he appeared before the officials he was arrested. In the same manner, PTI leaders and workers were arrested in Islamabad, Karachi and other cities, he said.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2022