ISLAMABAD: The house of Dr. Arslan Khalid, a focal person to former prime minister Imran Khan on digital media, was “raided” in Lahore early Sunday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said, hours after Khan was ousted from power by a vote of no-confidence in parliament.
Khalid was appointed Khan’s focal person on digital media in February 2019. Khan’s party said those who raided Khalid’s home took away all phones from his family too.
Khalid never abused anyone on social media nor had he attacked any institutions, the party clarified, calling on the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to look into the matter.
This remains unclear as to who “raided” Khalid’s house and for what reasons.
Azhar Mashwani, digital media focal person to the Punjab chief minister, said 11 men “attacked” Khalid’s house early Sunday.
“Dr. Arslan’s home attacked by 11 men during Sehri time. All phones and laptops taken away,” he wrote. “Threatened family members, including 80 years old mother.”
Khalid had been “receiving threats in past four weeks from people who didn’t like the online feedback coming from the masses,” Mashwani said.
Asad Umar, the PTI general secretary and a former federal minister, said the incident was “highly condemnable.”
“Wow! Deep shadows cast over @arslankhalid_m’s house as it got raided & his family’s phones taken away,” former human rights minister Shireen Mazari said on Twitter.
“Not surprising because the ‘deep-seated’ intolerance for criticism leads to irrational rage. But criticism on social media [is] often spontaneous unlike coups!”
Dr. Khalid was not home at the time of the “raid,” a former senior member of the PTI’s social media team told Arab News on condition of anonymity.
“Yes, he is on the run,” he added. “He is not answering his phone. They misbehaved with his mother and sister.”
No one knew who the culprits were, he added.
Khan, as a prime minister, last Monday took calls from the general public to answer their queries. In response to a question, he told his followers to avoid criticizing the armed forces, saying that the army and the PTI were the only two elements keeping the country united.
“We need the army a lot, they have given a lot of sacrifices for us,” he said. “They continue to render sacrifices every day. I want everyone [to listen to me] and not resort to any sort of criticism of the army,” he added.
Khalid on Friday tweeted the video, captioning it: “we need to act as defenders of the Prime Minister and the armed forces.”
Saturday’s no-trust vote against Khan went ahead after the powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, met the prime minister, said two sources who declined to be identified.
The military has ruled the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people for almost half its nearly 75-year history.
The military viewed Khan and his conservative agenda favorably when he won election in 2018, but that support waned after a falling-out over the appointment of the influential military intelligence chief and economic troubles that led to the largest interest rate rise in decades this week.
