KARACHI                     -               The Sindh Government has approached the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) seeking action against those involved in spreading “baseless” audiotapes in which traders are purportedly accusing the government of taking bribes to keep their businesses open.

The provincial government has written a letter to the FIA to take action against the perpetrators under the cybercrime laws saying such fabricated tapes are an effort to irreparably damage its reputation.

It said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Haleem Adil Shaikh shared these tapes on his Twitter handle.

The provincial government has also provided evidence to the FIA to act against those behind the audiotapes.

Earlier, Sindh Government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab had rejected the allegations against the government of taking bribes from traders to allow them to reopen their businesses during coronavirus lockdown. He added these tapes are fabricated and full of lies.

He said the people were well aware of the propagandists against the government.

He hoped that soon these wicked people would be exposed and the truth would come out to the people.

The Minister termed the experts of viral audio from the members of the business community against the Sindh government as unsubstantiated.

He termed it a conspiracy of those who were upset and angry over the praise of the Sindh government, especially the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had been receiving from across the world on his timely actions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the province.

He said it was shameful to conspire like that at a time when the provincial government was battling a deadly pandemic.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that members of the business community and industrialists had termed the audio as baseless and unsubstantiated.

The provincial Information Minister said that some miscreants did not like the pro-people policies of the Sindh government.