Sindh Senior Minister for Information and Transport Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that while everyone has the right to peaceful protest, no one has the right to damage public property or disrupt the lives of ordinary citizens.
Responding on Monday in the Sindh Assembly to a point of order raised by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) MPA Muhammad Farooq, Memon stated that during recent protests in Karachi, some party workers resorted to pelting police officers with stones. “Police personnel also have families and children. Why should the public suffer because someone decides to block roads?” he asked.
Farooq had raised the issue of alleged police violence against JI workers during a sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly on February 14. Memon said police had clearly informed JI office-bearers that they would not be allowed to enter the Red Zone, yet protesters forcibly attempted to do so.
He alleged that workers pelted police officers with stones and noted that a recent rally on Sharea Faisal had also been held without prior permission. Frequent rallies and demonstrations, he added, were causing immense hardship to citizens. “The assembly was closed on Saturday. What were you doing there?” he questioned the JI’s legislator, alleging that a former member of the Sindh Assembly had incited stone-pelting at police.
He emphasised that protests should not inconvenience the public and urged political parties to use the assembly’s floor to convey their message to the government. “You may speak for two hours in the assembly — who is stopping you? That is the proper forum,” he said, adding that such conduct would not serve Karachi in any constructive way.
Taking a swipe at JI Emir Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, he questioned why the JI leader had not taken his oath as an MPA-elect, despite holding regular press conferences. Earlier, Farooq defended his party’s protest, saying it was aimed at highlighting Karachi’s longstanding issues. “We are demanding the rights of a city that contributes significantly in taxes,” he said, displaying photographs of allegedly injured workers due to police action.
He claimed the protest had caused no damage and alleged that he had been detained twice within a week. “If the Sindh government will not grant Karachi its due share, it should at least allow us the right to protest,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Shabbir Qureshi of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also raised a point of order, alleging that one of his party’s MPAs and several workers had been subjected to police violence in recent days.
In response, Memon said the Sindh home minister had already addressed the matter and expressed regret. He acknowledged that an MPA had been assaulted and said the government was “ashamed and apologetic”, adding that action would be taken against SSP Fida Janwari.
However, he criticised the former government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, saying it had never apologised for its own actions. “You unleashed oppression against your political opponents,” he said, recalling cases filed against opposition leaders. He referred to the arrest of Faryal Talpur on the night of Eid, as well as the arrests of Pakistan Peoples Party leaders Khursheed Ahmed Shah and Agha Siraj Durrani.
Question hour
Meanwhile, the Sindh senior minister said that fake news was a major issue and that individuals and their families were being harmed by it.
He stated that anyone could file a complaint against fake news with the cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the federal government had also enacted the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) to deal with it.
Speaking in the house during the question hour of the session, Memon said that a defamation law also existed, but he did not recall anyone being punished under it. He gave the example that when a TV channel was penalised in the United Kingdom, it issued an apology.
He said that a resolution on the issue of fake news should be introduced in the Sindh Assembly and a parliamentary committee should be formed to prepare recommendations for legislation and implementation to tackle the issue of disinformation. He emphasised that they were not against freedom of expression, but against fake news.
The information minister said the province should also have an authority empowered to take direct action if any channel or individual spreads false news.
