President warns government against arresting PTI chief
If govt arrests Imran, it will be tantamount to ‘playing with fire,’ says Alvi; police record PTI leader Chaudhry’s initial statement; PM’S aide says zero tolerance for those threatening state institutions
President Arif Alvi on Thursday warned government against arresting former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.
If the government arrests Imran, it will be tantamount to “playing with fire,” Alvi said.
“It will be tantamount to seting a fire [fuelling anarchy in the country],” the president said in response to a question about Imran’s possible arrest by the incumbent government during a conversation with senior journalists.
The president said that arresting Imran or any senior politician would lead to “resistance,” hinting at instability if the government tries to detain its opponents.
Alvi said he tried to play a bridge role between the opposition and the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) multiple times but there was complete silence from the incumbent government’s side and they did not respond to my invitation.
The statement came ater PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry was detained from his Lahore residence in the wee hours of Wednesday ater he publicly “threatened” the members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and their families in a media talk a day earlier.
Chaudhry has been handed over to police for physical remand by an Islamabad magistrate.
Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed the plea filed by Chauhdry’s lawyers that he was kidnapped from his Lahore residence.
Chaudhry was presented before the Islamabad magistrate by the police where arguments by the lawyers of the accused and the Election Commission of Pakistan continued for hours on the question of remanding him to police for further questioning.
The PTI leader is accused of using threatening language against the ECP.
The Islamabad police registered a case against him on the complaint of the ECP and arrested Chaudhry from Lahore on Wednesday. They brought him to the federal capital where they presented him before the magistrate for physical remand.
Imran condemned Chaudhry’s arrest and said that his party would not change its stand because of such tactics. He said he was aware that a scheme had been prepared to arrest him and added that he was not scared of his detention because he was fighting for a cause.
Imran appealed to the judiciary to speak for the truth and stop witch-hunting, otherwise nation would not forgive it. He severely criticised the government for arresting Chaudhry and other leaders of his party.
Chaudhry recorded his initial statement to the Islamabad police on Thursday.
Kohsar Police Station’s DSP and SHO quizzed Chaudhry about his statement, to which he replied “I said what I felt. Nobody asked me to do so.”
To another question, the PTI leader said his mobile phone was with him when he was arrested. “His laptop would be at home,” he added.
When asked whether it’s appropriate to target state institutions, Chaudhry said “Neither I made any atempt to spread anarchy nor my words were rebellious.”
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan said that the government would observe zero tolerance against individuals abusing or hurling threats to the state institutions and creating hatred among its personnel.
Addressing the media, he castigated Imran for instigating political polarisation, dividing the society and promoting hatred among the people for his pity political gains.
He said that PTI was the party of only 30 members and the rest was provided to it by former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Javed Iqbal, who himself admitted this as reported by columnist Javed Chaudhary.
Iqbal admited that he was tasked to provide at least 40 (prominent) persons to Imran’s PTI.
He said that he was astonished to note that Chaudhary has hurled such disturbing threats to an institution.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja was appointed by Imran Khan, he remarked.
He said Imran accused Donald Lu, General Qamar Javed Bajwa and now Mohsin Raza Naqvi for toppling his government.