May 9 saga
Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Asad Umar escape arrest by fleeing local court
ISLAMABAD
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Asad Umar fled court premises on Tuesday in a desperate attempt to avoid being arrested after a local court denied them bail in a case connected to May 9 violence. After the PTI chief was arrested on May 9 over corruption charges, several protestors attacked sensitive state and military installations in retaliation.
Subsequently, several party leaders and workers were arrested and slapped with cases of inciting violence and spreading unrest.
Qureshi and Umar had emerged as two key leaders who had opted not to part ways with the party after their release from custody, unlike a major chunk of their former colleagues that have denounced their party memberships.
Nonetheless, following his release from jail last month, Umar stepped down from his role as PTI Secretary General.
The two leaders appeared before Additional Sessions Judge, Tahir Abbas Supra, today in connection with a case registered against them over arson and vandalism of state and public property.
As soon as the judge announced his verdict rejecting the two PTI leaders’ bail applications, the two were seen escaping the court premises to avoid arrest. Qureshi and Umar hurriedly made their way to a vehicle parked outside the court before driving off.
PTI refutes Asad Umar’s claim of ideological differences
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday released a statement refuting former party secretary general Asad Umar’s claims that he left his position because of the PTI chief’s ‘confrontational policies’.
PTI Information Secretary Raoof Hasan issued a statement shortly after Umar told a private news channel that he quit the office of PTI secretary general due to the political strategy implemented by the party’s chairperson in the aftermath of the May 9 protests.
During the talk show, Umar said that the job of the party’s secretary general was not to give free advice but to implement the strategy which was decided. He questioned how could he implement a strategy he was “opposing”, adding that that was the reason for his resignation.
He continued that after the war of 1971, Pakistan had not witnessed such instability and urged all stakeholders to take a step back as the nation stood at a “pivotal point”.
According to the former finance minister, due to the situation in the country, people had to step down from their ideological perspectives and compromise to reach a solution. Umar added that he did not agree with the strategy the PTI chief employed after May 9 and further said that he had been opposing the party leader’s strategy even prior to the riots.
Retaliating to Umar’s comments, the new PTI information secretary said that there was evident “confusion” in Umar’s thoughts. He maintained that the former leader could have separated from the party when he developed differences with the PTI and its chief, which would have been “appropriate”.
