Safdar's arrest: Ministerial committee gathers evidence, decides to hold daily meetings

(Karachi) A ministerial committee, formed to probe arrest of PML-N leader Captain (retd) Safdar Awan, has gathered evidence, including CCTV record, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

As per details, the inquiry committee held a sitting at the Chief Minister House and decided to hold daily meetings to compile its fact finding report regarding the incident.

The ministerial body has collected evidence related to the matter that include CCTV record from the hotel to the police station.

As part of investigation, the committee has also decided to summon Muhammad Safdar Awan in person in the committee session or via video link. The Sindh Police chief and the Additional IG will also be summoned by the inquiry committee.

The probe committee will compile its report and submit it to the Chief Minister of Sindh. The committee would also inspect the hotel room and residence of the Sindh IG.

The probe will also contact PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz if it will deem it necessary.

On October 22, Sindh government formed a five-member committee to probe the arrest of PML-N founder Nawaz Sharif's son-in-law Safdar Awan in Karachi.

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani, Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Sindh government spokesman Murtaza Wahab and two other ministers are part of the committee.

The committee has been tasked to complete the investigation on the matter and submit a report to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

On October 19, Sindh Police nabbed Capt (R) Safdar from a hotel in Karachi and registered a case against him. The arrest was made 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.

Later, in wake of Capt Safdar's arrest episode, Inspector General of Police Sindh Mushtaq Meher and other top police officials proceeded on leave. The opposition parties had accused intelligence agencies of abducting the provincial police chief and forced him to sign arrest orders of Safdar.

They maintained that in the recent episode of registration of FIR against Capt (r) Safdar in which police high command has not only been mishandled and ridiculed, but all ranks of Sindh police have been demoralized and shocked.

However, the police officials deferred the leave after Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa took notice of the matter and ordered investigation.