ISLAMABAD: The opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan on Friday harshly criticised what he called arbitrary arrests and police brutality on peaceful protesters in Punjab.
Speaking on a point of order in the National Assembly, he said that Article 16 of the constitution clearly states: “every citizen shall have the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of public order”.
However, there exists no constitution as Section 144 has been imposed in different districts of Punjab ahead of peaceful protests by PTI, he said. “Nowshera Virkan, NA-81 (Gujranwala), as well as, other parts of the province has been virtually surrounded by Punjab Police just to stop a peaceful protest by PTI against massive rigging in by-polls, he said. He dubbed the Inspector General Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar as the “most corrupt” police officer he had ever seen.
He called for a judicial inquiry into the Bahawalnagar incident. “When the Bahawalnagar incident took place, Khawaja Asif went the extra mile to justify the incident, saying police had raided the home without any arrest warrant. If so, why you are tight-lipped when it raided the houses of PTI leaders and workers without any warrants,” he questioned.
He demanded a medical examination of spouse of PTI founder Bushra Bibi from some private hospital, saying the party has no faith in state institutions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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