Sheikh Rashid alleges police beat his employees during raid at Islamabad residence
Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid has alleged that police beat his staff during a raid at his house in Islamabad late Saturday night and forced them to give statements that they were not tortured during a previous raid on Wednesday (May 31).
A spokesperson for the Islamabad police said regarding the matter that police “went to Sheikh Rashid’s house after obtaining a warrant”.
“Islamabad police undertakes all operations in accordance with the law,” he added.
According to Rashid, Islamabad police’s Elite Force personnel entered his house in Islamabad after breaking the residence’s door at midnight and “beat my staff, who were injured on May 31 due to torture by the force”, to “forcibly extract a statement that they were not subjected to violence” in the previous incident on Wednesday and instead, their “arm[s] broke due to them falling down”.
He also alleged that in a second incident, a “force clad in plain clothes” tortured his employees at his Lal Haveli residence in Rawalpindi at 4am in the early hours of Sunday. He said residents of the area managed to rescue his staff from the personnel.
Rashid linked the incidents to a court order over his application regarding the alleged raid at his Islamabad house on May 31.
On May 31, Rashid had alleged that some 80-90 people, including Rangers, Islamabad police, and others “dressed in civil clothes” raided his home forcefully during the early hours.
In a tweet, he said that he was not present at his home but the personnel conducting the raid “broke the arms of his workers” and took away Rashid’s licensed weapons, CCTV footage of his house and “both of his cars”.
He also shared a video that showed contents from a cupboard scattered all over the floor and a suitcase filled with belongings placed open on a bed.
The AML chief has accused Islamabad Police officials of breaking the arm of his staff and said he reserved the right to take legal action.
Rashid also wrote to Islamabad Inspector General Akbar Nasir Khan, asking him to take action against the officials involved in the alleged raid at his home on Wednesday.
In the letter, the AML chief named Kohsar Station House Officer Shafqat, its deputy superintendent of police and the superintendent of police among the 70-80 people who allegedly forcefully entered his home in the city’s I-7 sector and ransacked it.
Rashid also alleged that the police officials beat his employees named Mohsin, whose arm was fractured, and Ashfaq, who also suffered injuries.
He added that two of his bulletproof cars, one licensed gun and “other precious items were forcefully snatched and taken away”.
On June 2, Rashid said Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Supra had fixed for hearing his petition against the raid and summoned a response from police officials on June 9.
Allegations by Rashid, a PTI ally, have come amid the state’s crackdown on the PTI and its supporters following incidents of vandalism on May 9.
Additional reporting by Shakeel Qarrar.