Police fail to arrest key PTI leaders in Peshawar
Haqnawaz Shinwari
PESHAWAR
A total of 1086 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers have been arrested for allegedly attacking police and creating chaos in the provincial metropolis when the party chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested in Islamabad on May 9 in an alleged corruption case.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police has so far arrested 1028 suspects in various operations. Police teams are raiding for more arrests as the process of identification of all the suspects involved in the incident with the help of cameras is also on.
Police in Peshawar have detained former Member of National Assembly (MNA) Anwar Taj, Sabghatullah, District Nazim Charsadda, and Mayor Abbottabad.
It claimed to have registered more than 93 FIRs against the PTI workers, supporters, Nazims and lawmakers in the province.
Among the arrested, 552 accused have been named in different FIRs registered against them after creating law and order situation following the arrest of their party leader Imran Khan.
Although the district administration Peshawar has issued orders to detain active PTI leaders under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order, 1960, the police could not arrest any prominent PTI leader as all those nominated in cases went missing.
A statement issued by police officials said that police raids were also being conducted to arrest former MPA Wajid Ullah Khan and Mohammad Asif but so far the police have not succeeded in arresting any of these PTI leaders.
It is pertinent to mention here that police in the provincial capital have made several attempts to arrest over the recent violent protests and conducting raids on the house of PTI leaders, former lawmakers, and local body representatives for alleged vandalizing public property and clashing with police.
Police have taken in custody several relatives of those involved in the violent protests and requested the general public to help law enforcement agencies to trace the real culprits for legal action.
Raids were being conducted to take more arsonists into custody, police said.
They had arrested hundreds of people in Peshawar over violent protests but no key PTI leader was among them.
KP’s police had also released on social media platforms the pictures of those suspected of setting fire to Radio Pakistan Peshawar building, main motorway toll plaza and causing damages to government installations buildings and private properties. The situation remains tense as the police continue to crackdown on PTI workers, supporters, ex- lawmakers and others wanted in cases lodged against them under the Section 3 MPO and Anti-Terrorism Act.
