Daily Times

PTI leaders Shehryar Afridi and Ali Muhammad Khan were arrested shortly after being released from Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday.

Ali Muhammad Khan was among the several party leaders who were arrested for inciting violence on May 9.

He was released from the jail on Tuesday evening but the liberty was transient. According to a tweet by the PTI’s official handle, this marks Ali Muhammad Khan’s third arrest.

Afridi along with his wife was picked up on May 16 from his residence in Islamabad under Section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960, which enables the government to arrest persons “acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety”. His wife, however, was released later on the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Soon after his release from the jail, police officials again took him into custody and transported him to an undisclosed location. According to the jail administration, Afridi was released on completion of his “house arrest” period under the MPO.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner has extended Afridi’s house arrest under MPO for another 15 days.

The duo was apprehended after violent protests, triggered by the arrest of PTI chairman Imran Khan from the IHC in the Al-Qadir Trust case, erupted almost across the country.

During the days-long protests, which ended only after Khan’s release, enraged PTI workers allegedly attacked private and public properties, including military installations – the Lahore Corps Commander’s House or Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) entrance. At least eight people lost their lives during the violent protests.