July 23, 2024
ISLAMABAD – PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan was arrested by the Islamabad police on Monday as the interior ministry accused the party of peddling “anti-state propaganda”.
PTI founder Imran Khan’s lawyer Ali Ijaz Buttar earlier claimed that PTI’s Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Hasan were both “arrested by the Islamabad police from the party’s office”.
“I just received a call from the party’s office informing that 300 to 400 policemen arrived at the [party’s] office and arrested PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and Information Secretary Raoof Hasan,” Buttar wrote on the X platform.
The party also condemned the move through its official X account and lambasted the Islamabad police. “It’s absolutely shameful how Islamabad Police continues to completely mock and disregard every law in this country,” the party said while resharing Buttar’s post. “Law of the jungle is reigning over Pakistan!”
The party also shared footage on the X platform, showing several police vehicles and a few police personnel outside the party’s central secretariat.
A statement from the interior ministry issued later confirmed Hasan’s arrest.
Referring to the Saturday arrest of PTI’s international media coordinator Ahmed Waqas Janjua, the ministry said that the Islamabad police and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) conducted a raid on the PTI’s digital media wing in light of a preliminary investigation and the digital content used by the party.
“Raoof Hasan was arrested during the raid. PTI is involved in anti-state propaganda,” the ministry’s statement said, adding that a joint investigation team was being constituted to further probe into the matter.
The statement was issued shortly after a press conference by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif who said “digital terrorists” were using tools such as cell phones, computers, falsehood, and propaganda to impose their will on society just like regular terrorists do.
The DG ISPR questioned the lack of action against such individuals despite their activities against the leadership of the state and other institutions. “Instead of the courts and regulations moving forward against them, they’re given further space and they’re made heroes in the name of freedom of expression,” he said.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference later with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Omar Ayub and former NA speaker Asad Qaiser, Barrister Gohar said the PTI’s central secretariat was raided before 12pm today, all CCTV footage was collected, and Hasan was arrested.
He said the party’s lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab were supposed to submit their affidavits today and those of the latter were present in the office. Gohar said “our entire record” was seized, including various documents on intra-party elections, and 10 party workers were missing.
Gohar said he was concerned about Hasan’s health and thus had left with him. “I sat with him and we were taken to the police station at Islamabad police lines where I was told: ‘There is no case against you, you’re not wanted in any case and you can’t remain here but Hasan will remain here.’”
He alleged that ever since the Supreme Court’s reserved seats case verdict, only one party was being targeted with its lawmakers and their associates being abducted.
Gohar said the party would bring all action into play for Hasan and expressed hope that he would be discharged if presented in court tomorrow.
DG ISPR’s presser ‘indictment against govt’: Omar Ayub
Meanwhile, the NA opposition leader said: “The raid was the excuse. The target was the affidavits.”
He alleged that the government and agencies could not “digest” the Supreme Court’s verdict in the reserved seats case.
Railing against the military spokesperson’s press conference, he said it was an “indictment” against the PML-N government and its ineptitude.
He said the press conference was not warranted since the DG ISPR was a part of the state and “not the state itself”.
“The PML-N’s failure pushed the [DG] ISPR to come forward and do this press conference.”
Ayub particularly questioned the spokesperson’s emphasis on the need to curb the “illegal spectrum”, saying if that was the case then an inquiry commission should be formed on the wheat scandal during the caretaker government and the alleged role of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in it.
Meanwhile, Qaiser said the party’s lawmakers were being called and made offers of money or ministries or otherwise warned of legal action by investigating agencies.