ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani military said on Tuesday it had concluded its probe into the arrest of the son–in-law of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last month and decided to removed officers from the paramilitary Rangers and the ISI spy agency who had acted “zealously” in the incident.
The probe, ordered by the country’s army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, came after local politicians alleged that Sindh province’s top police official, Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar, had been abducted by paramilitary troops, taken to the office of a local ISI official, and coerced into signing an order to arrest opposition leader Muhammad Safdar, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) party.
Safdar was arrested by officials who barged into his hotel room, as seen in cellphone footage, the day after a protest by an opposition alliance in Karachi, capital of the southern province of Sindh. He was subsequently released on bail.
“Based on the recommendations of the Court of Inquiry, it has been decided to remove the concerned officers from their current assignments for further departmental proceedings and disposal at GHQ [general headquarters],” the military said in a statement.
It said the Rangers and ISI officers were “experienced enough to have acted more prudently and could have avoided creating an unwarranted situation that led to misunderstanding between the two state institutions.”
Last week, the PML-N and an alliance of opposition parties kicked off nationwide protests against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and accused the military of interference in Pakistani politics - an allegation the army vociferously denies. Safdar was among those leading the protests.
The Sindh government, under which the Sindh police operate, said it had not ordered Safdar’s arrest and that the police had been pressured into taking the action.
“The police chief’s phones were seized. He was taken to the sector commander’s office and asked to sign the arrest orders,” Maryam Nawaz, Safdar’s wife and Sharif’s daughter, told media. Mahar was reported to have been allowed to leave on Monday after signing the arrest order.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, whose Pakistan Peoples Party rules Sindh, publicly called for the army and intelligence chiefs to investigate the matter, saying the incident had “crossed a red line”.
Pakistan army says will remove Rangers, ISI officers who arrested Nawaz Sharif's son-in-law
https://arab.news/w5pnt
Pakistan army says will remove Rangers, ISI officers who arrested Nawaz Sharif's son-in-law
- Safdar was arrested by officials who barged into his hotel room a day after a protest by an opposition alliance in Karachi
- Army ordered a probe after politicians alleged Sindh’s top police official had been abducted by Rangers and coerced into signing the arrest order
‘Fully stand with Bangladesh’: Pakistan PM backs decision to boycott India match
- Pakistan’s government have not allowed the national cricket team to play its World Cup match against India on Feb. 15
- Pakistan has accused India of influencing ICC decisions, criticized global cricket body for replacing Bangladesh in World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday backed his government’s decision to bar the national men’s cricket team from playing against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup tournament, reaffirming support for Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s government announced on social media platform X last week that it has allowed its national team to travel to Sri Lanka for the World Cup. However, it said the Green Shirts will not take the field against India on their scheduled match on Feb. 15.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for replacing Bangladesh with Scotland. The decision was taken after Bangladesh said it would not let its team travel to India out of security concerns.
During a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif highlighted that Pakistan has said that politics should be kept away from sports.
“We have taken this stand after careful consideration and in this regard, we should stand fully with Bangladesh,” Sharif said in televised remarks.
“And I believe this is a very reasonable decision.”
Pakistan has blamed India for influencing the ICC’s decisions. The global cricket governing body is currently led by Jay Shah, the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Shah is the son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.
Pakistan’s boycott announcement has triggered media frenzy worldwide, with several Indian cricket experts and analysts criticizing Islamabad for the decision. An India-Pakistan cricket contest is by far the most lucrative and eagerly watched match of any ICC tournament.
The ICC has ensured that the two rivals and Asian cricket giants are always in the same group of any ICC event since 2012 to capitalize on the high-stakes game.
The two teams have played each other at neutral venues over the past several years, as bilateral cricket remains suspended between them since 2013 due to political tensions.
Those tensions have persisted since the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in the worst fighting between them since 1999 in May 2025, after India blamed Pakistan for an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed tourists.
Pakistan denied India’s allegations that it was involved in the attack, calling for a credible probe into the incident.
