- Angered over Sindh HEC chief’s arrest without prior intimation, Qaim Ali Shah says no substantial evidence against Dr Asim Hussain
- Tells Rangers DG to register his command as in-charge of targeted operation, terms FIA, NAB’s actions ‘invasion in Sindh by Centre’
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Friday publicly vented his anger at Rangers and Karachi corps commander over the arrest of former petroleum minister and Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC) Chairman Dr Asim Hussain over corruption charges.
“I called Rangers DG today and told him that he was working under my command. I was made the in-charge of targeted operation by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and PPP leadership,” Shah told journalists after inaugurating Shaheed Nusrat Bhutto Underpass in Karachi.
Lamenting over the fact that he was not taken into confidence over the arrest of former federal minister, Sindh CM said, “This is unfair and unwarranted. It is not appropriate to arrest any individual at will. We do not practice the law of the jungle in Sindh.”
The chief minister said that after Dr Asim’s arrest, he had spoken to the corps commander and the Rangers director general, who told him there were serious complaints against the former minister.
“However, when they sent me the details of the complaints against Dr Asim, I found them to be in general without solid substance. Sufficient evidence against Dr Asim does not exist, I should be made aware of arrests before they happen,” he recalled.
Shah said that he also held a meeting with Rangers DG Major General Bilal Akbar on Friday. “I told him that had there been complaints against Dr Asim, I would have been informed about them,” he said, adding that the Rangers DG had assured him he would be taken into confidence before major actions and Dr Asim’s matter will also be resolved.
The chief minister said he informed the Rangers DG that he was in command of the security operation in Karachi and hence should be kept in the loop regarding all developments.
EVEN PPP IS NOT HAPPY WITH IT:
Moreover, the Sindh CM said that his party was not content with the action taken against Dr Asim. “They (PPP) hold me responsible because they (PPP) elevated me to the position of chief minister,” he said, emphasising that being an elected chief minister and head of the provincial apex committee, he must be consulted.
Commenting on his protest with the federal government on what he termed “invasion by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Sindh”, the chief minister recalled he had taken up this issue with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali and then with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif twice.
“The prime minister told me he was not aware of their actions and had assured our grievances will be redressed but despite that raids on Civic Centre are continuing,” he deplored.
“Why is Sindh alone being targeted in the current anti-corruption drive? I have been informed that the FIA would stop their invasions within two days and we are also working to stop NAB from their excesses,” he said.
He expressed the hope that there was some realization at the leadership level, saying that Dr Asim Hussain will be freed honorably. “FIA will also go back in a few days,” he said.
Dr Asim Hussain was detained on Wednesday by plain-clothed men allegedly belonging to an intelligence agency.
On Thursday, he was presented in ATC-III by the Rangers who informed the court that Dr Asim had been placed under a 90-day preventive detention under Section 11-EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
According to sources, Dr Asim was being grilled for his alleged involvement in illegal occupation of government land in North Nazimabad and Clifton for the extension of his Dr Ziauddin Hospital.
Dr Asim was also being reportedly questioned for allegedly misusing authority when he was petroleum minister/adviser during the PPP government at the centre after the 2008 general election.
Dr Asim’s arrest came in what has been described as the first major action against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership during the ongoing Karachi operation. He is a close aide to former president Asif Ali Zardari.
