Daily Times

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) alleged on Saturday that Umar Dar, the brother of former party leader Usman Dar, has been ‘abducted’ in Lahore and accused PML-N leader Khawaja Asif of orchestrating the incident to undermine the Dar family’s position in the upcoming elections.

In a video shared by PTI on social media, Umar’s mother revealed her son’s ‘abduction’ and urgently appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to intervene and take notice of the situation. “I am a mother and a widow. I am deeply distressed by the current situation. I appeal to the CJP to ensure the appearance of my son in court,” she stated in the video.

Expressing her concerns, she emphasised, “I am facing all these challenges solely to prevent me from participating in elections. I have been denied the opportunity to submit my papers, and there are police personnel stationed outside my residence. I assert the truth that these actions are aimed at hindering my candidacy in the polls”.

In a post on Instagram, the PTI underscored that the “abduction of Umar Dar during the scrutiny phase in the election is another episode of the mockery of law going on in Pakistan”.

Supporting the PTI’s claims, party leader Omar Ayub Khan condemned the abduction, stating, “Umar – the son of Rehana Dar, who submitted her nomination papers from Sialkot to contest against Asif – has been abducted by unknown people from Lahore.” Ayub asserted,

“The reign of terror against PTI continues unabated,” he said and expressed confidence in Imran Khan and PTI’s victory.

Simultaneously, a petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court, seeking the recovery of Umar Dar. The petition, filed by Usman’s legal counsel Abuzar Salman Niazi, highlighted the persistent political vendetta against the Dar family. It pointed out that Dar’s mother was contesting elections against Asif in Sialkot, adding that the family was being targeted for political motives.

The plea urged the court to issue an order for the recovery and appearance of the missing individual before the court.

Earlier this month, Dar’s mother accused Khawaja Asif and the police of raiding their Sialkot home and manhandling her.

In a video message, Dar’s mother asserted, “They [police] raided my house on Khawaja Asif’s orders. They tore my clothes, manhandled me, all to prevent me from participating in the elections”.

She described facing severe ill-treatment, including a torn collar and physical abuse. Despite the ordeal, she remained resolute in her determination to contest the elections, citing it as a decision from her heart and in accordance with the guidance from the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah.

“I will participate in the elections no matter what. It’s a decision from my heart and as per the guidance from the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah,” she declared, expressing her readiness to confront Khawaja Asif even if her house is razed to the ground or she is sent to jail.