ISLAMABAD, Apr 20: A Hindu state minister in Sindh province of Pakistan has been attacked by protestors who took out a rally against a plan for new canals.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker Kheal Das Kohistani, the minister of state for religious affairs, was driving through the Thatta district on Saturday when his motorcade was pelted with tomatoes and potatoes by protesters who chanted slogans against the federal government.
Officials said Kohistani was unharmed in the attack.
Radio Pakistan reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Kohistani and assured him of a thorough investigation into the incident.
“The attack on the public representatives is unacceptable. The persons involved in the incident would be given exemplary punishment,” the prime minister said.
Minister for Information Atta Tarar sought details of the incident from Sindh Inspector General Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon and a report from the federal interior secretary.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also strongly condemned the act in the strongest terms.
In a statement, Shah said no one had the right to take the law into their own hands.
He directed the Deputy Inspector General of police for the Hyderabad region to immediately arrest the miscreants involved in the attack and submit a report.
According to personal details on the website of the National Assembly, Kohistani hails from the Jamshoro district of Sindh and was for the first time elected as a member of the parliament in 2018 from the PML-N.
After serving for the full five-year term, he was reelected in 2024 and got the nod for elevation to become Minister of State. (PTI)
