ISLAMABAD: Punjab police on Monday released a close aide of former prime minister Imran Khan who had been arrested a day earlier for violating election rules by allegedly showing up outside a polling station with armed guards dressed up in paramilitary Frontier Constabulary (FC) uniform, local media reported.
Shahbaz Gill was arrested at a time when the residents of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province were voting to elect 20 new lawmakers. The seats were left vacant after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislators for switching their loyalties and voting for Hamza Shahbaz as the chief minister.
Gill was arrested after arrived in the PP-272 constituency of Muzaffargarh with armed guards wearing FC uniform, according to local media. A heavy contingent of police personnel arrived at the polling station to defuse the situation. A few hours later, Gill took to Twitter to confirm that he had been arrested.
“Arrest, police brutality,” he wrote on the social media platform. “Already knew that the fascist rulers would go to any lengths to save their government from falling.”
In a press conference after Gill's arrest, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah criticized the security company that had provided guards to the PTI leader, saying stern action would be taken against it for providing FC uniform to them.
“We have immediately suspended the operation of this company, all of their licenses have been cancelled and I have directed the District Police Officer of Muzaffargarh to detain the guards that are there [with Gill] and confiscate their weapons,” Sanaullah said, adding a high-level inquiry would be initiated against the security firm.
Earlier, Gill spoke to the media and denied the allegations against him, saying he had not kept any guards dressed up in FC uniforms.
The Khan aide said he visited the polling station in Muzaffargarh after reports of poll-rigging.
