Karachi incident inquiry report is shielding real culprit: Nawaz Sharif

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday rejected the outcome of the inquiry report issued by the ISPR stating it as a cover-up to shield the real culprit.

In a tweet, Nawaz Sharif wrote: “Inquiry report on Karachi incident is a cover-up scapegoating juniors and shielding the real culprits. Report ‘Rejected’.”

As per the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Court of Inquiry has recommended the removal of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistan Rangers officials involved in the Karachi incident.

"It has been decided to remove the concerned officers from their current assignments for further departmental proceedings and disposal at [the Army's] General Headquarters (GHQ)," reads the statement.

They will be held to account for violating the code of conduct at the General Headquarters, the military’s media wing said.

On October 19, Sindh Police nabbed Capt (R) Safdar from a hotel in Karachi. The arrest was reported to be in a case registered against him for chanting political slogans in the vicinity of the Mazar-e-Quaid.

The police registered a case against PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, Capt (R) Safdar, and 200 others at the Brigade Police Station in Karachi for alleged desecration of Mazar-e-Quaid.

In the audio clip circulating on Twitter, Zubair purportedly said that Chief Minister Murad Shah confirmed to him that "they tried to put pressure on the Sindh Police first to arrest. When they refused to do that, Rangers kidnapped [the IGP]".

PML-N vice president Maryam had also alleged that the Sindh inspector general of police was forcibly "taken to the sector commander's office and asked to sign on the arrest orders".

She claimed that when the IGP showed reluctance, he was told that the arrest would be carried out by the Rangers. "After his signatures were forcibly taken on the arrest orders, he was told police would carry out the arrest."