KARACHI: Leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Maryam Nawaz and chief of JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman Monday said that Captain Safdar was arrested with the aim of creating differences in the opposition's anti-government alliance. Leaders of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) were addressing a news conference at a local hotel Monday.

Maryam said she never thought "for even a moment" that the arrest was carried out at the behest of the Sindh government.

Maryam 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.

She narrated the order in which the arrest took place.

"We reached home late after the jalsa. We were sleeping when early in the morning I thought I heard someone's door being knocked loudly. I woke up my husband and said the loud knocks were on our door.

"Safdar opened the door and police were standing outside who said we are here to arrest you. Safdar told them he'll change and take his medicine, since he is diabetic but they broke down the door and came inside.

"Safdar asked them to not enter since I [his wife] was inside but they didn't pay any heed and arrested him," she said.

The government is trying to give the impression that the Sindh government is behind this, said Maryam and added that Bilawal called her and expressed his anger.

"Sindh chief minister also called me and said that he never expected that something like this would happen to me," said Maryam. Maryam said the complainant in the case, Waqas Ahmed Khan, "is an absconder from an anti-terrorism court."

Maryam said she and her husband would depart from Karachi together because Safdar had been granted bail. PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the manner in which the arrest was carried out was shameful.

"Is this the respect for a woman in our country? He said that this arrest was "done through a conspiracy to create differences between PML-N and PPP," but the government failed to create a rift between the opposition parties. "This attack is not on Maryam but on the entire PDM," he concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020