All PTI MNAs, whom the law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) had taken into custody, even from the Parliament House, late Monday night for violating the rules during the party’s rally at Sangjani, Islamabad on Sunday, would be produced in court today for remand, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.
These violations included attacking Islamabad Police personnel; failure to abide by timings and making anti-state speeches sources told 24News TV channel.
Besides PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, Sher Afzal Marwat and Shoaib Shaheen, others who were arrested in late-night raids were Amir Dogar, Yousaf Ali Khan, Naseem Ali Shah, Ahmad Chattha, Awais, Syed Ahad Shah, Naseemur Rehman, and Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) Sahibzad Hamid Raza while Rawalpindi Police raided Shehryar Riaz’s home at Peshawar Road, but he evaded arrest since he was not present at home.
Those who were arrested from inside the Parliament House were Zain Qureshi, Sheikh Waqas Akram and others.
PTI leaders to be produced in court today
On the other hand, large contingents of the police and FC have taken their positions outside Islamabad’s district and sessions court as PTI MNAs would be produced for remand shortly.
PTI MNAs stayed inside Parliament as planned
Earlier quoting its sources, 24News reported that the PTI MNAs had decided not to turn themselves into the police and to confine themselves to the Parliament House.
Quoting the party MNAs, sources had told the TV channel that they were sitting inside the Parliament House since they feared that if they were arrested, the ruling coalition would be able to get the bills passed in the morning by completing the numbers it required for the purpose.
Sources informed that earlier it had been decided that only a few PTI legislators would attend the National Assembly (NA) session.
But as the session began, they were present in large numbers and were all taken into custody.
Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul on the run
As Islamabad Police continue to arrest the PTI MNAs as a part of the crackdown on the party leadership following inflammatory speeches were made at a rally in Sangjani, Islamabad on Sunday, the Force said on Tuesday that Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Omar Ayub Khan and another party stalwart Zartaj Gul would also be taken into custody, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
On the other hand, the police sealed all routes leading to the Red Zone of the federal capital namely D-Chowk, NADRA Chowk, Serena and Marriot hotels in order to make sure that none of the PTI leaders could evade arrest.
However, the police did not arrest Ali Muhammad Khan, a senior party leader, as he left the Parliament House.
Zartaj Gul, Amir Mughal, Raja Basharat among 28 PTI leaders booked
FIRs have been registered against 28 PTI leaders, including Zartaj Gul, Amir Mughal, Seemabia Tahir and Raja Basharat, at Islamabad’s Sangjani police station for making anti-state speeches and violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Sections related to interference in official duty and resorting to vandalism have also been inserted in the cases registered against the party leaders.
According to the copies of the FIRs registered against PTI’s Amir Mughal and Advocate Shoaib Shaheen under sections related to terrorism, vandalism and interference in official duty, the PTI workers blocked roads, threw stones at the police personnel and snatched anti-riot guns from them on the instructions of both these leaders.
“And hence terror was spread by attacking personnel of the LEAs,” read these FIRs.
Reporters: Awais Kiani and Hashir Ahsan