Corruption charges against me are ‘baseless’: Haleem Adil Sheikh

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf parliamentary party leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh has said that the allegations of corruption and land grabbing against him were totally fake and vowed to face the corruption watchdog whenever he is summoned for questioning.

Addressing a press conference flanked by the opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi and others today, the PTI leader said baseless applications were filed against him and his family members by some people backed by the PPP to implicate them in false cases.

Haleem Adil Sheikh said, “We are honest and clean people, and no corruption of even a single rupee or any land grabbing has ever been proved against us.”

The PTI leader said he owned land of four acres, which was clear and a bank loan taken on it had already been paid. He alleged that the PPP leaders were involved in massive land grabbing in Malir.

“These elements had tried to get lodged a case against me in the anti-corruption department, but the ACC 1 committee rejected the allegations,” he said.

He said the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party in Sindh had been trying for a long time to silence his voice and it was still hatching conspiracies against him.

He said the Sindh chief secretary and other senior officers were included in this committee. He said the case was later sent to the revenue department, where also it was not proved.

Sheikh said these people were using dirty tactics to silence his voice. He said that if and when NAB summoned them, they would prove their case that they were not involved in any land grabbing or corruption.

Accusing the Anti-Corruption Establishment Sindh of initiating a witch-hunt against him after he held a rally against Omni Group, owned by former president Asif Ali Zardari’s close aide Anwar Majeed, Haleem Adil Sheikh said it cooked up a plethora of lies to implicate him.

He also denied money laundering allegations levelled against him and sought constitution of a judicial commission to probe encroachments on state land in Karachi’s Malir district.

Speaking on the occasion, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, the Sindh Assembly’s opposition leader, said the PPP-led Sindh government bears Haleem Adil Sheikh malice. He called for a probe into allegations against PPP ministers.

He said in some Katcha area, PPP leaders are harbouring dacoits and criminal gangs for kidnapping for ransom.

He said a criminal Sardar Tiago Khan Taigani is the henchman of Imtiaz Sheikh, whose people are involved in the martyrdom of inspector Rao Saifullah.

“Criminals are used for the protection of ministers in Sindh. He said there are several startling stories of these crime gangs backed by ruling politicians”, he added.

Naqvi further alleged that whatever work was carried out by the Sindh government was done after paying 52% bribes, adding that the ruling party in Sindh would “not give anything” to Karachi but will “loot” it.

“We will also register a complaint in NAB,” Naqvi said, while Sheikh added that whenever any investigative body summons then one should go.

“We have seen that many people go to NAB with a stick but jog when they come to the assembly,” Sheikh said, taking a dig at the PPP leadership and alleging that they make illnesses an excuse when summoned by NAB.