RAWALPINDI – Former interior minister and senior PTI leader Shehryar Afridi has been arrested as the government tightened the noose around former ruling leaders after violent clashes in which rioters attacked civil, and military installations in the wake of the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan.
A tweet shared by Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf’s official handle said Shehryar Afridi has been forcibly taken away along with his wife, in what Imran Khan-led party described as abduction.
PTI stressed that Shehryar Afridi’s wife was also detained, as it slammed the incumbent government for its alleged act.
Ex-Interier Minister, @ShehryarAfridi1 has been abducted along with his wife, who has no political role. #PakistanUnderFascism pic.twitter.com/xS1hJW9nq9
— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 15, 2023
Reports in local media suggest that Afridi was held under Section 3 of Maintenance of Public order (3MPO) in the federal capital Islamabad, and was shifted to an undisclosed location due to security issues.
The development comes as the government tightened the noose around PTI leaders after May 9 violent protests as over 3,000 protesters were arrested after identification. Party’s top leadership including Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, Asad Umer, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Hammad Azhar and others are under detention for involvement in violent protests.
Pakistan Army resolves to try rioters under military laws
Pakistan Army’s top brass pledged to prosecute the violent protesters and their abetters under the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act. COAS General Asim Munir presided over the special Corps Commanders Conference (CCC) at GHQ on Monday.
The meeting was told that a well-coordinated arson plan was executed, including desecration of martyrs’ monuments, burning down historical buildings and vandalism at military installations, to malign the institution and portray it as an impulsive reaction.
The forum condemned in strongest terms these “politically-motivated and instigated incidents against military installations and public/private properties”. The commanders of the Pakistan Army communicated the anguish and sentiments of the rank and file of the army over these incidents.
Pakistan Army to hold violent protestors, their abettors accountable under military laws
