ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/KARACHI
As the protests turned violent across the country after the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan in Al-Qadir Trust case, the Shehbaz-led government has tightened noose around the PTI leaders and activists, arresting key leaders including women till the crack of dawn.
Since Imran Khan’s arrest on Tuesday, angry mobs attacked several public and private properties including army owned buildings, torched vehicles and injured several law enforcers. On the other hand, violent clashes left seven civilians dead and a score of others wounded.
There were reports of gunfire between the law enforcers and the protesters. PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi was the latest leader who was taken into custody by police in Islamabad on late Wednesday night.
Former Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was arrested from Gilgit Baltistan House in Islamabad hours after PTI chief Imran Khan — whose arrest Tuesday sparked violent clashes and riots in that country — was remanded to the custody of a Pakistani anti-corruption agency for eight days in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.
Qureshi’s arrest was part of the anti-corruption agency’s ‘crackdown’ on the leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. The PTI leader’s arrest was addition to the tally as several PTI leaders including former Governor Punjab Omer Sarfraz Cheema, PTI secretary general Asad Umar and PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry were already apprehended by police earlier in the day.
Earlier, an accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday granted the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan to NAB for eight days. The decision was announced by accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir in a case pertaining to Al-Qadir Trust. The accountability bureau had requested Imran Khan’s physical remand for 14 days.
A day after the arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan, party’s general secretary Asad Umar, senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry, Jamshaid Iqbal Cheema and women leaders Musarrat Cheema and Maleeka Bokhari were also taken into custody on Wednesday and Thursday.
As Mr Chaudhry came out of the SC, where he had been residing to evade arrest, he was taken into custody. Talking to the media, he said it was happening for the first time in Pakistan that a SC lawyer had been arrested on SC premises. “What has been unforeseen, is happening now”, he added. Bar associations had, he said, reduced the power of lawyers in their personal feud.
All the sections of the society were facing challenges now, he said. He said when he came to the IHC, Mr Khan was arrested on the premises of the IHC. “Mr Khan was tortured and his head was wounded,” he added. I appealed to the IHC CJ, he said, he entertained it and passed a worthless order.
