LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry has condemned police operation at PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s residence, and said that the PTI would stage nationwide protests against it.
While addressing a press conference on Saturday, he said that the party workers and supporters were waiting for the former Prime Minister’s call to stage protests across the country against the police operation at Zaman Park.
He noted that all the roads leading to PTI Chairman’s residence were closed; “we tried to go to the Khan’s residence through different routes, but we failed”. He added that Article 15 gives them the right of movement, which they were denied.
He pointed out that Bushra Bibi, the wife of Khan, and household staffers were present at the time of the operation. He accused the police of torturing the people present there and damaging the property.
The PTI leader alleged that the police had violated the Lahore High Court (LHC) orders; terms of reference (TOR) were signed between the police and PTI regarding the search of Khan’s residence. It was said in the court that the search would be conducted with a search warrant and hence we agreed to cooperate with the authorities, but they violated the agreement and invaded the privacy of a home. An application for contempt of court has been filed in the Lahore High Court in this connection, he added.
While referring to the press conference of Punjab Information Minister Amir Mir and IG Punjab Usman Anwar, he alleged that it was full of lies; its content was already predicted on social media before it was held. He accused Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the IG Punjab of working on an agenda of PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz and added that they would face justice for the murder of their party worker Zille Shah. “The police had launched the operation under an agenda set up by PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz,” he claimed.
He also criticised the government over rising prices of edible items and petroleum products, and ‘failed’ foreign policy. “The government was not concerned about the country and its only agenda was to arrest Khan,” he claimed, adding that his party chairman represents Pakistan and this was the reason the incumbent rulers want to arrest him.
In an apparent reference to Maryam Nawaz, Chaudhry said that a woman, who never contested an election of a councillor, was dictating the government. “She has hijacked the entire Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP),” he claimed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
Comments