KARACHI, June 27: The provincial government is set to withdraw a graft case against two men belonging to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, it emerged on Wednesday.

Sardar Mohammad Ashraf Solangi and Tufail Ahmed Mahessar, the former chairman and member of the market committee of the Mehar town, respectively, have been charged with abusing their powers by awarding a contract.

They moved an application to the Sindh chief minister and contended that they were affiliated with the PPP and had a political rivalry with former chief minister Liqauat Ali Jatoi, who during his tenure allegedly implicated them and other party workers in false cases in a bid to force them to change their political loyalty.

They further submitted that on Jan 27, 1998 they along with others were booked in a case (FIR 05/1998) under Sections 217 (public servant disobeying direction of law with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 at the Dadu police station.

The charge against them that Mr Solangi being the chairman and Mr Mahessar as a member of the market committee had abused their official powers to award a contract and the case was charge-sheeted, they added.

The applicants further said that the charge had been framed and the trial was pending before the special anti-corruption court, Hyderabad.

They claimed that they had been dragged in false cases and facing the same for the past 12 years on baseless charges and there was no possibility of conviction. They said that the government might order withdrawal of all criminal cases including the present one registered during what they described as a dictatorial period.

They prayed to the chief minister that necessary orders might be passed for withdrawal of the said case.

The chief minister’s secretariat through a letter (No.DS (iii)/DEV/CMS/9(5)/09/1126) dated June 23 directed the prosecutor general, Sindh and the law secretary to consider the withdrawal of the case.

The letter reads: “It is stated that the cases were politically motivated. Pl: process as the same are also quite old cases. Consider for withdrawal & put up”.

“It is requested to kindly take necessary action in the matter as desired, in accordance with rules/policy, under intimation to this secretariat at the earliest.”

Sources said that in the light of the CM secretariat’s directive, the prosecutor concerned would move an application before the trial court under Section 10 of the Pakistan Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1958 read with Section 494 of the criminal procedure code for the withdrawal of the case within a few days.