Fawad Chaudhry, middle, a senior chief of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s get together, leaves after his medial checkup at a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
Credit score: AP Picture/Ok.M. Chaudary
Police in Pakistan early Wednesday arrested a senior chief of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political get together on costs of threatening the chief of the elections oversight physique and different authorities officers.
The arrest of Fawad Chaudhry, an outspoken critic of the federal government, is a significant setback for the get together, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, wherein he serves as vice chairman. The get together rapidly condemned the arrest and demanded his launch.
Khan additionally denounced the arrest, claiming on Twitter that it left little doubt that Pakistan has develop into a spot “devoid of rule of law.” He urged followers to “stand up for our fundamental rights” to stop the nation from drifting towards “a point of no return.”
The arrest passed off throughout a predawn raid at Chaudhry’s home in Lahore, the capital of japanese Punjab province, his household mentioned. Shireen Mazari, a spokesperson for Khan’s get together, mentioned Chaudhry was taken in handcuffs straight to courtroom by police in Lahore.
Hours later Chaudhry, amid tight safety, was dropped at Islamabad, the place a decide allowed police to maintain him in custody for 2 days to find out why he threatened the chief of the elections oversight physique and different officers.
Chaudhry’s spouse, Hiba Fawad, instructed reporters that safety forces had been tough together with her husband, pushed him right into a automobile and whisked him away.
“There is a procedure to follow if you want to arrest someone,” she mentioned. “It cannot happen that 10 or 12 people enter a house, detain someone, throw him into a vehicle, and take him away without telling the family where are they taking him.”
Footage launched later by the get together confirmed Chaudhry’s supporters gathered on the courtroom and throwing rose petals at him as police led him towards a courtroom.
Angered over his arrest, tons of of Chaudhry’s supporters blocked a key freeway in Jhelum, his residence metropolis in Punjab province, to demand his launch.
In an announcement, Islamabad police mentioned Chaudhry was arrested on a criticism from the Election Fee of Pakistan on costs of threatening the pinnacle of the elections overseeing physique, Sikandar Sultan Raja, and different officers. The threats had been meant to stop them from performing their duties and incite folks to violence towards them, police mentioned.
Data Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb later Wednesday claimed Chaudhry’s arrest was not political and that he’s not a case of “political victimization.”
Chaudhry was arrested after publicly threatening election officers — and even members of their households, she mentioned. “This arrest was made on a complaint from the election commission,” Aurangzeb mentioned.
“If we had any intention to make political arrests, we might have arrested Imran Khan, but we had no such intention,” she mentioned.
On Tuesday, Chaudhry criticized the elections overseeing physique for appointing a veteran journalist, Mohsin Naqvi, as caretaker chief minister in Punjab. Khan’s get together and its allies had been in energy in Punjab and held majority seats within the provincial meeting however dissolved the home earlier this month, a transfer that apparently sought to strain the federal government in Islamabad.
The dissolution of the provincial meeting set in movement snap elections, which below the structure are to be held inside 90 days.
Chaudhry additionally instructed reporters Tuesday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s authorities might arrest Khan at any time. Khan, who stays widespread with an enormous grassroots following, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament final April and has been main the opposition since.
A former cricket star turned Islamist politician, Khan was wounded in a gun assault whereas main a rally towards the capital, Islamabad, final November. Considered one of Khan’s supporters was killed and several other others had been wounded within the taking pictures.
In October, the elections fee disqualified Khan from holding public workplace for 5 years after discovering he had unlawfully bought state presents and hid belongings as premier. Khan denies the cost and has filed a movement with a courtroom to problem the fee.
Khan has additionally claimed that he was toppled in a plot by Sharif and Washington, claims they each deny.
Together with the provincial meeting in Punjab, Khan’s allies earlier this month additionally dissolved the legislature in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the place Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf additionally had majority seats. The get together has demanded early federal elections, which Sharif’s authorities has rejected, saying the vote might be held as scheduled later this yr.
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