HYDERABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh has criticised the Sindh government for its failure in governance, healthcare, education, law and order and public infrastructure, saying that the province has been left “abandoned under a corrupt and negligent administration”.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday at the local press club, he threatened that a public movement would be launched against what he termed “institutional collapse” across Sindh. PTI leaders Aminullah Khan MusaKhel, Pir Murtaza Shah Jilani, Osama Khan Yousafzai, Arif Ghafoor and others were also present on the occasion.
Stating that 18 deaths in Hyderabad were reported and hundreds of patients were under treatment in hospitals, he lamented that the Sindh health department had failed to launch any effective preventive campaign.
Mr Haleem said dengue had reached crisis proportions across Sindh with Hyderabad being the most affected city. He said public hospitals were outsourced to private contractors, resulting in the collapse of essential medical facilities. “Patients remain unattended, hospitals lack basic resources and the Malaria Control Program has completely failed,” he added.
He announced the PTI would initiate legal proceedings and mass protests against those responsible for the mismanagement in the health sector.
About the health minister’s recent statement, he noted that 3,995 children were tested positive for HIV while the actual number was “many times higher”. He demanded an explanation from the minister, asking that if there were over 600,000 fake doctors operating in Sindh with 40pc of them in Karachi, what was Sindh Healthcare Commission doing? It has become one of the most corrupt departments, which took bribes and protected quack doctors.” He said PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s claim that “patients come to Sindh from around the world for treatment” was laughable. He said patients from Sindh travelled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for treatment.
He said education and infrastructure had collapsed and Sindh’s public schools lacked even basic facilities, clean drinking water was unavailable, and the province’s infrastructure “was on the verge of destruction”. He added that Sindh had become a state of bandit rule and alleged that in a recent operation, 72 dacoits surrendered but only 35 were officially arrested, raising questions about “who is protecting the rest”.
He informed that inflation had paralysed people, with the 3333prices of electricity, gas, petrol, flour, pulses and rice skyrocketing. He alleged corruption was rampant across every department in Sindh while province’s water resources were plundered again.
He said the media was being silenced and after the 26th Amendment, “rule of law had been dismantled and the judiciary was made subservient.” He condemned the treatment of Imran Khan, saying that his trials were not being conducted on merit, and he was being denied access to his doctors, family and the party leadership. “Even court orders are not being implemented by the jail authorities,” he said, adding that inhumane treatment of Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Umar Cheema, Falak and Sanam Javed caused anger.
He said the PTI would launch a “remove PPP, save Sindh” campaign, organising rallies and public gatherings across the province.
Mr Haleem added that under the “Tehreek Tahafuz-i-Aeen-i-Pakistan” (movement for the protection of the constitution), the PTI would hold nationwide protests for the rule of law, independent judiciary and media, the release of Imran Khan and against rising inflation. “The PTI Sindh will use every available forum, including courts, parliament, media and streets to defend the rights of people,” he concluded.
Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2025