Haleem Adil Sheikh’s convoy attacked in Benazirabad

NAWABSHAH: A convoy of Opposition Leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, who is also the Vice President of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), reportedly came under attack in the Benazirabad district on Sunday.

Talking to the media, Sheikh said the attackers pelted stones and fired gunshots on his convoy, which was on the way to the residence of local PTI leader Inayat Rind. Haleem Adil alleged that the attack was carried out on the instructions of Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

He alleged that the attackers were workers of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), who perpetrated the cowardly attack. He complained that the SSP Benazirabad did not attend his call through which he wanted to register a complaint.

"The PPP cannot not frighten me through such cowardly attacks," he said. "I will keep exposing the corruption of the PPP's Sindh government," he vowed. The attackers also chanted slogans against Sheikh and his party.

When contacted, Senior Superintendent of Police Ameer Saud Magsi confirmed that some unidentified persons had attacked and threw eggs at the procession of Haleem Adil Sheikh near the Zardari House, adding two egg shells were collected

from the attack site. The SSP said that Haleem Adil Sheikh was provided police protocol but the procession changed its route without any intimation and passed near the Zardari House. He said that an investigation is in progress, adding no FIR has been lodged so far.

Earlier, while addressing a press conference at the Nawabshah Press Club here on Sunday, Haleem Ail Shaikh said under the decision of the Supreme Court, no province can impose lockdown on its own and it requires consultation with the NCOC.

Haleem Adil said the Sindh government has clamped a lockdown one sided without any consultation with the NCOC and closed down all activities, which paralysed all businesses in the port city.

He said on the one hand the world is commending the decisions of Prime Minister Imran Khan to control coronavirus while on the other hand the Sindh government was damaging the situation under a planned conspiracy.

He said the lockdown of one week pushes the economy of the country two months behind. He said due to the best economic policies of the PTI, the economy was showing an upward trend. He said the country earned Rs67 billion through the tourism activities in Murree and Swat while on the contrary the Sindh tourist site Gorakh Hill consumed billions of rupees and it was still unattractive.

He said hills of Nangarparker and Karoonjhar are being sold and Sindh tourists sites are being ruined. He said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah is the main hurdle in the development of the province, adding the federal government purchased and handed over 5.9 million doses of corona vaccine and the Sindh government has not yet purchased a single dose of vaccine. He alleged that the PPP spent a huge amount of Sindh in the Kashmir election but people of Kashmir voted for Tehrik-e-Insaf and rejected the PPP.

Meanwhile, strongly condemning the attack on Opposition Leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said Haleem Adil was being targeted and victimised because he was exposing the Sindh government’s corruption. In a statement, Fawad said earlier he was arrested in false cases, now he was attacked, which was a cowardly act.

He said those who claim to believe in the freedom of expression in Sindh wanted to silence the voice of the opposition leader. The entire Sindh government and the government machinery was trying to harm PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, he said, adding “All such cowardly acts are being carried out at the behest of the provincial government with the aim of covering up the corruption of the PPP leadership.”

The minister said infrastructure of Sindh was ruined while educational institutions in the province have become cattle ranches. He said Haleem Adil Sheikh will continue to be the voice of the people of Sindh.