Daily Times

KARACHI: Former President Peoples Student Federation (PSF) Faisal Shaikh has been picked-up by law enforcement agency from his residence during a raid in wee hours on Saturday.

Sources told Daily Times that a convoy of more then four vehicles with personal in plain cloths conducted a raid at Faisal Shaikh’s resident in the proximity of Hussain De Silva Town, Block-P, North Nazimabad.

He (Faisal Shaikh) is famous among party youngsters due to his student union activities. He also enjoys good relations with Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other senior leadership.

Faisal is a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and a protocol officer of the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto. The family and the party seemed unable to trace his whereabouts since no body is admitting arresting him at this point.

“We were sitting outside his home as per routine when personnel in plainclothes in three police mobiles raided,” explained Dilshad Babar khan who is Shaikh’s close aide, also a member of a Janisar-e-Benazir (PPP’s special security force for Bilawal Bhutto’s security).

“They (plainclothes personnel) came and put guns on the foreheads of every person sitting along with Faisal and warned to shoot all of us if someone offered resistance.”

Shaikh is also the deputy general secretary of PPP’s Human Rights Cell and a member of the party’s Sindh Council. He had also contested for the provincial assembly elections in the last general elections in 2013 from North Nazimabad.

According to Faisal’s family they have approached the party to trace his whereabouts. “We have approached the party to contact the officials of the law enforcement agencies to trace his whereabouts and the motive behind his detention,” said Shaikh’s brother Sohail Shaikh. “At least the reason behind the detention should be conveyed and it should be admitted .”

On the other hand, the PPP has also expressed its concerns over the detention of the senior party leader. “We are trying our level best to trace him,” said Waqar Mehdi, PPP senior leader and former special assistant to Sindh chief minister. “Right now we don’t also know who took him in custody and why.”

He said the PPP leadership has approached the Sindh police as well as its specialized units but no one so has so far admitted his detention, adding that the party is trying to its level best and it would provide him legal support if the law enforcement agencies charge him in any case. Sindh police officials were unavailable for comments when contacted.