KARACHI: Diocese of Karachi leaders Father Sarwar Eric and Father Shafique Kanwal have complained against Advocate General Sindh and demanded his removal. Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club here flanked by their legal advisors, they said that property mafias eye precious lands and property of the Church of Karachi valuing trillions of rupees, says a Press release.
They said that after the retirement of Bishop Sadiq Daniel in 2020, some ministers and other influential people of Sindh government are hatching conspiracies against the Church of Pakistan, Diocese of Karachi and through Advocate General Sindh Salman Talibuddin they allegedly want to plant a Bishop of their own choice so as to occupy precious properties of the church.
They said that in this regard the advocate general is misguiding the court to bypass the church Constitution and election rules. He said we are able candidates for this slot but the AG Sindh misusing his office is trying to declare us as unqualified so that their own men can be elected to pave way for occupying and commercialisation of precious church properties.
They claimed that according to their sources provincial ministers Murtaza Wahab, Nasir Shah, Owais Shah and Anthony Naveed are behind this conspiracy. They said that the Sindh government through AG Sindh is violating the constitutional rights of Christian citizens. They said according to Article 140 of the Constitution the advocate general would only represent the government and he is not allowed to do his private practice.
They said on April 29, 2021, Advocate General Salman Talibuddin misguided a division bench of Sindh High Court and by wrong implementation of election rules got order to stop election. He said the elders of the church foiled this conspiracy because we the genuine candidates did not take part in polls.
They appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan and chief justice of Sindh to take notice of wrongdoings of Advocate General Sindh Salman Talibuddin. They also appealed PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and chief minister Murad Ali Shah to take notice of these conspiracies. They demanded that A G Salman Talibuddin should be removed to save precious properties of the church and so that the new Bishop is elected as per aspirations of community and not on whims of the land mafia. They warned that if their demands are not met they would protest strongly.