PTI demands release of detained lawmakers as Chitral protests erupt
Party says five MNAs and a Lower Chitral MPA were taken from Parliament Lodges and near the National Assembly, while workers rallied in Chitral.
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday condemned the arrest of several of its parliamentarians from Parliament Lodges and near the National Assembly and demanded their immediate release.
In a statement, the party named MNAs Sanaullah Mastikhel, Dawar Kundi, Ahsan Jamal, Mian Ghaus and Adil Khan Bazai, along with Chitral MPA Fateh-ul-Mulk Ali Nasir, as having been detained. PTI called the arrests a "grave assault" on the constitution, democratic values and parliamentary traditions.
The party alleged the government was using state power to suppress political dissent and said arrests, raids, threats and cases would not deter it from pursuing its constitutional and democratic rights. It warned that using Parliament as a site for action against political opponents could undermine democratic norms and deepen political tensions.
PTI demanded that all arrested parliamentarians be released immediately and that their families and lawyers be allowed access. It said anyone facing legal allegations should be produced before a court and dealt with according to law, and urged state institutions to uphold the constitution and rule of law rather than use force in political matters.
Dawn reported that the arrest of Fatehul Mulk Ali Nasir triggered demonstrations in Lower Chitral on Monday. Hundreds of PTI workers and residents took to the streets ahead of the party's planned Sept 27 long march on Islamabad. A rally led by Senator Falak Naz, PTI secretary Syed Farid Jan and other leaders marched to the Chitral Press Club, where party leaders addressed a press conference; demonstrators chanted slogans against the Islamabad administration, Dawn reported. The News International also reported that PTI workers in Chitral protested the MPA's arrest.
Separately, ANI News and Clarion India reported that Imran Khan's sisters have challenged detention orders in court and demanded immediate release.
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