KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday the inspector general (IG) of police in the Sindh province, Mushtaq Ahmed Mehar, had been abducted on Monday by paramilitary troops, who forced him to sign an order to arrest an opposition leader.
Opposition leader Muhammad Safdar, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) party, was arrested on Monday following a protest at the tomb of the country’s founder in Karachi, capital of the southern province of Sindh that the PPP rules. He is the son-in-law of Nawaz Sharif, three time prime minister of Pakistan and the head of the PMLN, which is part of a recently formed opposition alliance that is leading street protests against the central government.
On Tuesday night, Pakistan’s army ordered a probe into the alleged abduction of the provincial police chief following an outcry over the incident.
“Who besieged the IG’s house at 2am,” the PPP chairman asked reporters at a press conference. “Who were the two people who entered his residence and where was he taken at 4am?”
Several top officials of Sindh police submitted leave applications to the provincial administration to protest the alleged abduction of their chief, saying they could not fulfill their duties in such a “stressful situation” and needed to take some time off to come out of the “state of shock.”
“The chief minister [Murad Ali Shah] has announced an investigation,” said the PPP chairman. “The officers are resigning and proceeding on leave one by one. This is matter of their dignity.”
Referring to Safdar’s arrest, he said: “It was shameful. No matter how much I condemn it, it will still be insufficient. I am ashamed. I am not able to show my face to anyone after what has happened in my province.”
“I demand of the [Director General Inter-Services Intelligence] General Faiz Hameed and [Chief of Army Staff] General Qamar Javed Bajwa to investigate their institutions to see how they are working in this province. Whoever has given you this advice, this is wrong and will damage the dignity of your institutions,” he added.
Safdar’s wife and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Sharif has said in a press talk that the Sindh police chief was picked up by Rangers, a paramilitary force, and “taken to the sector commander’s office” where he was forced to issue arrest orders for Safdar.
“Taking notice of the Karachi incident, the COAS has directed Commander Karachi Corps to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible,” the army’s media wing said in a statement on Tuesday night.
It was later announced that the army chief also telephoned the PPP chairman to discuss the situation with him. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has also formed a ministerial committee to probe the matter.
Bilawal says Sindh police forced to arrest ex-PM's son-in-law as army orders probe
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Bilawal says Sindh police forced to arrest ex-PM's son-in-law as army orders probe
- Pakistan’s army ordered a probe into the alleged abduction of the provincial police chief following an outcry over the incident
- Several top officials of Sindh police submit leave applications to record their protest against the alleged abduction of their chief
Islamabad court grants Imran Khan anticipatory bail in six cases
- Court says allegations fall within ‘further inquiry,’ finds little material beyond FIRs
- Khan’s wife’s pre-arrest bail also confirmed in Toshakhana receipt forgery case
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan in six separate cases ranging from alleged incitement and defamation to road blocking and violation of public order.
Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka of the District and Sessions Court of Islamabad confirmed Khan’s interim pre-arrest bail in the cases, ordering him to furnish fresh bail bonds of Rs50,000 ($178) in each case.
Khan, 73, has been in prison since his arrest from his Lahore residence in August 2023. His wife, Bushra Imran, has also been detained and is being held at a high-security jail in Rawalpindi in connection with a graft case linked to Pakistan’s state gifts repository, commonly known as the Toshakhana.
In one of the cases related to protests that followed his brief detention on graft charges in 2023, the court noted there was no material linking him to acts attributed to co-accused.
“No material is available against petitioner regarding act of provoking which was witnessed by any witness,” the court order said.
The May 9, 2023, violence was carried out by people holding Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) flags who attacked and set ablaze government and military properties, triggering a sweeping crackdown against the party and the arrest of hundreds of its supporters.
In the six cases decided on Tuesday, the court repeatedly observed that there was “nothing on record” beyond the first information reports (FIRs) to substantiate allegations under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including provisions related to abetment, public mischief and defamation.
In multiple orders, the judge ruled that the offenses fell within the “ambit of further inquiry” and confirmed the interim pre-arrest bail already granted to Khan.
The cases included allegations of making defamatory remarks against senior military officials in televised speeches, promoting unrest and violating restrictions on public gatherings.
In one of the cases, the court also confirmed the pre-arrest bail of his wife, Bushra Imran, in a separate Toshakhana-related case alleging forgery and use of fake purchase receipts for state gifts.
The former premier has been entangled in a slew of legal cases since his ouster from office in 2022, a frequent hazard for opposition figures in Pakistan. Khan and PTI say the cases are politically motivated and aimed at keeping him out of the political arena. The government denies the allegation.
