Brigadier (retd) Haris Nawaz, the caretaker Sindh Home Minister, has rejected allegations of political victimization in the province, asserting that no actions are being taken against political leaders.
The minister’s statement comes at a time when political tensions in the province have escalated, with reports surfacing regarding politicians, particularly from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), allegedly being placed on stop lists and their residences raided in an effort to uncover corrupt practices.
Last month, sources informed The News that Mukesh Chawla, a PPP politician and former provincial minister, had been placed on an interim stop list as part of a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry into alleged misuse of authority and corruption related to a vehicle registration scam. However, Chawla prevented his arrest by approaching the Sindh High Court, arguing that his residence was raided without any prior notice related to the NAB inquiry.
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According to sources, over 60 government officials with close ties to the PPP have also been included on the stop list. Additionally, inquiries were expected to be initiated by the anti-corruption body’s office in Karachi against government officials linked to the PPP.
Chawla’s inclusion on the list and the subsequent additions, starting from the first week of August, were viewed by some as politically motivated victimization in the province.
Brigadier (retd) Nawaz addressed these reports today, stating that only NAB investigations and criminal cases are currently underway. He categorically denied any political victimization in Sindh.
Furthermore, the caretaker home minister dismissed reports of politicians being placed on stop lists. In response to alleged cash recoveries from politicians’ residences in the province, Nawaz clarified that no money had been seized from anyone’s house, and no political figures’ homes had been raided in Sindh.
Earlier this month, false news regarding a raid on the home of PPP’s former federal minister Shazia Marri circulated on social media, claiming the confiscation of Rs97 billion in cash. Marri refuted this fake news, emphasizing that no such official raid had taken place. Subsequently, she served a defamation notice to a Lahore-based journalist who had posted the false information on social media.
The interim home minister suggested that these allegations might be part of a deliberate campaign to tarnish the reputation of the caretaker government.
