More PTI activists arrested as life returns to normal in KP

PESHAWAR: With normalcy returning to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the police continued to swoop on PTI leaders and workers in the province for violence and arrested and booked hundreds on Friday.

Twenty-nine PTI activists, including former members of the National and provincial assemblies, were named in cases of murder, attempted murder and terrorism in the provincial capital.

The police also took former minister Shakil Khan and 98 PTI workers into custody and booked around 150 more for blocking roads and damaging public property during violent protests following the arrest of their party chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan.

An FIR registered by the Khan Raziq Shaheed police station late on Thursday, a copy of which was available with Dawn, said 29 people, including former MNAs and MPAs Kamran Bangash, Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Arbab Sher Ali, Arif Yusuf, Ishtiaq Urmar, Arbab Jahandad, Fazal Ilahi and Malik Wajid were charged under sections 302 and 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, and other laws.

Ex-lawmakers among those booked on terror, murder, attempted murder charges

It added that social media and surveillance camera videos showed the PTI workers blocking the Suray Pull (Rehman Baba Chowk) and torching an ambulance.

The FIR said the violent protesters carrying weapons also smashed the gates of the Frontier College for Women and fired gunshots at Balahisar Fort, the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Corps.

It said the culprits were being identified.

An FIR was registered by the Chamkani police station booking former PTI MNAs and MPAs Ishtiaq Urmar, Arbab Jahandad, Fazal Ilahi, Asif and Malik Wajid and 19 local party leaders for blocking roads and damaging public property.

A police official told Dawn that raids were being conducted to take those nominated in FIRs into custody.

He, however, said the police didn’t arrest any of the lawmakers as they’re not found at home during raids.

Public relations officer of the City Police Alam Khan said raids were being conducted to arrest violent protesters.

He said 98 people named in FIRs had been taken into custody in different parts of the provincial capital.

PTI Youth Wing central president Mina Khan Afridi told Dawn that the police raided her house on the Dora Road in Peshawar and asked the family about her whereabouts.

She said none of his family members was taken away by the police.

Also, the Lakki Marwat police booked several PTI workers for blocking roads and shouting slogans against the government and state institutions.

An FIR against violent protesters was registered by the Shaheed Asmatullah Khan Khattak police station in Naurang town.

It said that over 200 PTI activists gathered on the Indus Highway and closed it for traffic.

The police told Dawn that the protest call was given by PTI district president Johar Mohammad Khan, district general secretary Tauseef Khan, former district naib nazim Arab Khan, Lakki tehsil president Dr Mohammad Iqbal and other leaders Ihsanullah, Kamal Khan and Daud Khan.

Authorities in Batkhela area arrested five PTI district and tehsil leaders, including former provincial minister Shakeel Khan, under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order and shifted them to an undisclosed location.

They said those who incited violence or damaged public life or property were being searched with additional assistant commissioner Noor Nawaz Khan supervising the exercise.

Mr Khan said more PTI activists would be held over violence.

He said the opposition party’s leaders, office-bearers and workers turned off their mobile phones and went into hiding to prevent arrest.

In a statement, former member of the National Assembly Junaid Akbar “regretted” arrests of his party’s activists.

He said the party wouldn’t hold demonstrations if the detainees were kept in Malakand district.

“We [PTI] will stage protest rallies if our arrested people are sent to prisons outside our district,” he said.

Also, the Swabi police arrested 81 PTI leaders and workers and raided the houses of former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, former minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, former chief minister’s adviser Abdul Kari, former member of the KP Assembly Rangiaz Khan and tehsil council chairman Attaullah Khan.

They also said the PTI leaders weren’t taken into custody as they’re not home during raids on Thursday and Friday nights. The police said an FIR was registered and those nominated would soon be arrested.

The Lower Kohistan police arrested over a dozen PTI office-bearers and workers in the district for blocking the Karakoram Highway.

PTI district president Gulzada, senior vice-president Malik Abdul Hakeem and general secretary Rasool Khan were noted among the detainees, who were shifted to undisclosed locations.

The police made arrests under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order during raids on the houses of PTI workers and leaders.

With input from our correspondents in Lakki Marwat, Malakand, Swabi and Mansehra districts.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2023