The Sindh Government has assembled a private army of 400 armed Special Security Unit (SSU) police guards at Sindh House in Islamabad. The move comes as the Opposition gears up for an intense political battle against the PTI government.
Reacting to the news, Maritime Minister Ali Haider Zaidi questioned the grounds for the Sindh government assembling 400 SSU police guards in Islamabad. Subsequently, he wrote a letter to the Secretary Establishment and demanded an investigation of SSU DIG Maqsood Memon.
Read more: Can PTI dethrone PPP from Sindh government?
“On what grounds has the Govt. of Sindh assembled a private army of 400 armed SSU police guards in the Federal capital? I will be officially writing to the Secretary Establishment demanding an investigation against SSU DIG Maqsood Memon for allowing this nonsense,” the Minister tweeted.
I have written a letter to Secretary Establishment demanding immediate inquiry on SSU Sindh DIG Maqsood Memon. Have also asked for suspension of the incumbent till the result of the inquiry is received. https://t.co/aFW3Bc1yGG pic.twitter.com/vavjYDRpgj
— Ali Haider Zaidi (@AliHZaidiPTI) March 17, 2022
Furthermore, in the letter, the Minister slammed the Sindh Government. He accused it of having “ulterior motives to sabotage the political system of the country”.
Additionally, he also accused the DIG of “glaring violation” as the police service of Pakistan is meant for the protection of Pakistani citizens, regardless of political affiliations. As a result, the Minister demanded an inquiry against SSU DIG.
MNAs go missing?
As the no-trust move nears, the Opposition and the PTI government are grappling over MNAs. To clarify, the success or failure of the no-trust move for the Opposition and the government, respectively, comes down to the MNAs’ votes. Therefore, MNAs are under severe pressure.
Read more: CM Buzdar met 155 MNAs, MPAs in 5 days?
PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi revealed that around a dozen MNAs belonging to PTI had ‘gone missing’. Moreover, the PTI government also confirmed the news. Earlier today, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi stated that some MNAs are “being kept” at Sindh House. He also said that PTI will work on a strategy to “recover” them.
Additionally, PTI has also accused the Opposition of “horse-trading”. PM Khan, in a public address on Wednesday, said that opposition leaders were sitting in Sindh House with “heaps of money” to purchase loyalties of treasury lawmakers.
Meanwhile, the Opposition has denied the allegations. In a press conference, PPP’s Shazia Marri denied the accusations by the government. She counter-alleged that the government had instead detained some MNAs at the Banigala residence of PM Khan.
The Opposition PPP claims that the government is planning an attack on the Sindh House. They claimed they had information suggesting the Islamabad police and PTI’s Tiger Force were planning the “assault”. Furthermore, the Opposition also stated that the lawmakers were under security threat.
Needless to say, Pakistan’s politics is going through a disturbing phase as both the government and the opposition continue to take shots at each other. There are even fears that the D-Chowk rally will result in violence and chaos.