MUZAFFARGARH: Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MPA Khurram Sohail Leghari threatened Jatoi tehsil assistant commissioner during a telephone call, daring him to have a physical fight with him if he wants so.

The ugly incident took place on Sunday when MPA Leghari contacted the Jatoi AC Mohammad Arshad Virk and told him that he wanted to visit Ramazan Bazaar.

However, according to sources, during the call the battery of his (Mr Virk’s) mobile phone got depleted and his phone was powered off.

The sources said the AC, after a while, contacted the MPA and told him that because of the battery problem his phone went dead. But Mr Leghari got annoyed and lashed out at Mr virk, saying he (the MPA) was a member of the price control committee and received complaints about shortage of food items at Ramazan bazaars.

Khurram Leghari got flared up as officer’s ‘phone went dead’ during his call

However, the AC denied there was any shortage and asked the Mr Leghari to visit the Jatoi city Ramazan Bazaar as he was present there and waiting for him to accord him protocol and not for a fight. However, Mr Leghari got further agonised and told the AC he was ready to fight if he desired so.

The MPA also accused the AC of not doing his revenue work properly.

The government has set up two Ramazan bazaars in Jatoi tehsil; one at Shehr Sultan and the other at Jatoi city.

The AC told Dawn that he or his focal person remain present in Ramazan bazaars on a daily basis, claiming there was no shortage of subsidised sugar and flour there because of cooperation of local traders.

The AC alleged that the MPA was actually annoyed because he had refused to give a favour to him in a land dispute case that was in his court.

Mr Virk said he had informed his high-ups about the whole episode.

On the other hand, Mr Leghari alleged that neither the AC, nor the focal person was present at the bazaar. He also alleged that the AC was involved in corruption and was providing no relief to the masses.

Earlier, Mr Leghari, despite being a ruling party MPA, had criticised Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and some of his (CM’s) relatives for their alleged corruption and ignoring his constituency. He was later called by Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Prime Minister House for a meeting. Following the meeting, projects of construction of roads and a spur along the River Indus were allocated to the MPA’s constituency.

Presently, Mr Leghari is an active member of the group of lawmakers backing the PTI’s estranged leader Jahangir Khan Tareen, along with another MPA from the district, Abdul Haye Khan Dasti.

According to official sources, after the both MPAs joined the pro-Tareen group, development works in their constituencies had been stopped “on the orders of high-ups”.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2021