Spat over Pashteen’s arrest
ISLAMABAD: A diplomatic row erupted on Tuesday over the arrest of Pakistani democracy activist Manzoor Pashteen, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani sharing concerns and Islamabad calling his remarks an interference in its internal matters.
Ghani tweeted on Monday he was “troubled by the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen and his colleagues”, hours after the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief was arrested in Peshawar on charges of sedition.
Pakistan foreign office expressed “serious concern” and described Ghani’s remarks as “clear interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs and hence, unwarranted”.
Pakistan’s chief spokesperson Firdous Ashiq Awan deemed the comments “equivalent to interfering in internal affairs”.
On Tuesday, some 25 PTM workers including its leaders and lawmakers Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir were taken into custody outside the Islamabad Press Club, where they were demonstrating against Pashteen’s detention.
According to an FIR, Pashteen and other PTM leaders attended a gathering in Dera Ismail Khan on January 18, where he allegedly said the 1973 Constitution violated basic human rights.
The FIR said Pashteen made derogatory remarks about the state.
Following Pashteen’s arrest, #ReleaseManzoorPashteen started trending on Twitter.
4 BOYS ARRESTED FOR VANDALISING TEMPLE
Four boys aged between 12 and 15 have been arrested for allegedly vandalising a Hindu temple in a village near Thar’s Chhachro town in Sindh province. The boys said they did it to steal money from the temple, Dawn daily quoted police officials as saying.
The Mata Deval Bhittani temple’s idols of deities were desecrated on Sunday, the report said.
LAHORE HC OPPOSES MUSHARRAF TRIAL
In its detailed judgement on Pervez Musharraf’s petition challenging his death sentence on charges of high treason, the Lahore High Court ruled the concept of trial in absentia is against the golden principles of natural justice as well as Islamic justice.
“It is established without any doubt that the very constitution of the special court was squarely illegal/improper and without jurisdiction,” it said. A special court had sentenced Musharraf to death after six years of hearing the high-profile case.