HYDERABAD: The Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) has strongly condemned the police raids on the residences of its activists and their subsequent arrests across the region, characterising the crackdown as an attempt to stifle political activity.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, STP Senior Vice Chairman Jam Abdul Fatah Samejo, alongside Gulzar Soomro, Hyder Shahani, Dr Abdul Hameed Memon, and others, stated that the Sindh government’s use of force to sabotage peaceful political gatherings was a negation of fundamental democratic rights and reflective of “the worst ever political repression”.
The STP leaders remarked that while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership claims to uphold democratic principles, state machinery is being used against political workers raising their voices for Sindh’s land, water and natural resources. They questioned why administrative force was being deployed against the people of Sindh instead of addressing political differences through dialogue and reasoning.
According to the leadership, police attempted to prevent STP office-bearers from presenting their stance outside the Mirpurkhas Press Club. Despite the restrictions, party leaders addressed a press conference to advocate for the province’s rights. Subsequently, police took STP Secretary General Hoat Khan Gadhi, Qadir Channa, Hyder Mallah, and Khuda Bux into custody, but have yet to officially record their arrests at any police station.
Expressing grave concern over their unknown whereabouts, the party stated it was deeply apprehensive about the safety of the detained leaders, warning that the Sindh government and police would be held fully responsible should any harm befall them.
The STP leaders further highlighted that Jam Shaukat Abro and other party workers were recently recovered during a judicial raid at the Taluka police station in Mirpurkhas. Although the judicial officer ordered their immediate release, police detained them again in a different case, they said.
They alleged that party workers were being falsely implicated in past cases as part of a campaign of political victimisation and police high-handedness. Describing the police siege of the Mirpurkhas Press Club as an authoritarian tactic, they maintained that such measures would fail to suppress their struggle for Sindh’s rights.
The STP leadership urged the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court to take immediate notice of the alleged illegal confinement of its leaders and activists.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2026
