PTI slams PPP govt for failing to curb street crimes, improve law, order in Karachi
KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) launched a strong verbal attack on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led Sindh government on Saturday, accusing it of failing to curb street crimes in the metropolis, improve law and order, tackle corruption and address inflation and police excesses across the province.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s city office, Insaf House, Karachi, Sindh chapter president Haleem Adil Sheikh said that state institutions in the province had “ceased to function effectively”.
“Sindh is the land of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and hospitality, but today, oppression and lawlessness prevail,” he lamented, holding the PPP government responsible for the province’s deteriorating situation.
Citing a recent case of “police brutality,” he referred to the case of a young labourer, Irfan Baloch, who had come from Uch Sharif, Punjab, to Karachi for work, and was allegedly abducted and tortured to death by the CIA police.
Haleem Adil says over 50 citizens killed by robbers this year
“No FIR has been registered yet,” he said, warning that if justice was denied, it would prove that “the police institution itself is complicit in this brutality.”
Accompanied by PTI Sindh leaders Jamal Siddiqui, Farukh Khan and others, the PTI provincial chief also highlighted the alarming rise in street crimes in the metropolis.
“In September alone, 199 cars, 3,698 motorcycles, and 1,542 mobile phones were snatched, while 51 citizens were killed resisting robberies this year,” he said.
Mr Sheikh questioned why the authorities had failed to take action against the patrons of 72 dacoits who recently surrendered in Shikarpur’s Katcha area, noting that “no hostages had been recovered”.
“The Katcha areas have turned into no-go zones. Law and order in Sindh has collapsed, and police excesses are rampant,” he said.
Referring to the Auditor General of Pakistan’s 2024-25 report, the PTI provincial chief said that “financial irregularities worth Rs836 billion” had been unearthed in Sindh government departments.
“Seventeen years of PPP rule have pushed Sindh to the brink of destruction. Corruption has infested every institution,” he said.
He said the citizens were being “crushed under rising inflation” and that “corruption” had become routine.
“Flour, sugar, vegetables, pulses, ghee, electricity, and gas have all become unaffordable. People must break their silence, as remaining quiet now means abetting crime,” he warned.
Mr Sheikh also deplored the dismal state of education and healthcare in Sindh, saying that “more than six million children are out of school,” hospitals lack basic facilities, and dengue cases are surging.
He criticised the provincial government for “denying” citizens access to the Sehat Card and “exploiting” farmers who were not getting fair prices for their crops.
He further alleged large-scale corruption in the Sindh Solar Energy Programme, which is a Rs28 billion World Bank-funded project.
“Fake import documents were used, and the actual price of solar fans was $23.4 per unit, but the Sindh government contracted them for $151 per unit. On top of that, Rs127 million in fake tax claims were filed,” he claimed.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025
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