Investigate your institution, Bilawal tells army, ISI over Safdar controversy

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has asked Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI DG Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed to investigate what their institution is doing in Sindh.

“I demand General Faiz DG ISI, General Bajwa who’s the chief of army staff, to investigate their institutions,” said Bilawal while addressing a press conference in Karachi. “How are they doing their work in this province?”

The remarks from the PPP chairperson come hours after Sindh’s senior police officials, including the provincial inspector-general of police, went on leave a day after PML-N leader Captain (r) Safdar was arrested by the police and released on bail by a court in Karachi.

“What happened with Maryam Sharif and Captain Safdar was extremely shameful,” said Bilawal. “I am embarrassed and unable to show my face.”

“It’s on the lips of every police officer from SHO to SP and from SP to DIGs as to who were the people who surrounded the IG’s home at 2 in the morning. Who were the two people who went to the IG’s home and where did they take him at 4 in the morning?” Bilawal asked.

Bilawal said that his police officers were going on leave because its integrity was hurt.

“The police are an institution. An institution that we want to function independently,” said the PPP chairperson. “We don’t want political interference but it doesn’t mean that we will tolerate interference from somewhere else.”

Army chief orders investigation

Minutes after Bilawal’s explosive press conference, General Bajwa ordered Karachi’s corps commander “to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible”.