Two more senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid and Dr Shireen Mazari were arrested in Lahore and Islamabad, respectively, in the wee hours of Friday. The arrests are the latest in an ongoing crackdown against the party leadership. Top PTI leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, Asad Umar and Omer Cheema, were taken into custody within 24 hours and transferred to Adiala Jail under detention for 15 days following countrywide protests against former prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest. The security personnel rounded up over 1,800 PTI leaders and supporters since the protests began on Tuesday when Imran was arrested from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises. However, the Supreme Court ordered his immediate release on Thursday evening in the Al-Qadir Trust case. The Islamabad police spokesperson had confirmed the arrests, adding that Imran’s spokesperson Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, her husband Jamshed Cheema, Malika Bukhari and Senator Falaknaz had also been taken into custody under Section 3 of the MPO and transferred to Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi under 15-day detention.
However, the arrests of Dr Yasmin Rashid and Dr Shireen Mazari have come after the country witnessed a break in the violent protests as the PTI hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict to release their party chairman. “The leadership of the PTI will decide the next political course of action after consultation. The PTI believes in peaceful political struggle. The PTI hopes that all institutions will strictly follow the orders of the Supreme Court and take care of the security of chairman Imran Khan,” a statement issued by the PTI said. PTI leader Andalib Abbas revealed that Dr Yasmin Rashid was hiding in Defense or Cavalry Ground and she was abducted at 6:30 in the morning.
She said that her colleague had been absent from her home for several days due to police raids.”Two days ago, Dr Yasmin Rashid’s 80-year-old husband and 76-year-old brother-in-law were also arrested from their family residence,” she said.
While the brother-in-law still remains in custody, Dr Yasmin Rashid’s husband has been released due to his poor health, the PTI leader said.”Forty to 50 people came with four to five vehicles to arrest Dr Yasmin,” Abbas added.
Meanwhile, police arrested PTI leader Malik Amir Dogar, under section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (3MPO) from outside Lahore High court Multan bench. DSP Cant Police Station, Rao Tariq Pervaiz, told APP that Dogar was detained by the police under 3MPO whose orders were issued by the Deputy Commissioner.He stated that PTI leader was later shifted to Central Jail clarifying that he was not arrested in a case registered against him for which he had applied for bail in the court.