Several passengers detained at Faizabad bus terminal

Some passengers released as police say other passengers would be released as soon as they are verified

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Police on Monday detained several passengers for hours in a dispute involving two bus contractors at the Faizabad bus terminal.

Passengers told The Express Tribune that they had been waiting for the buses to depart for their native villages in Murree when police officials appeared and bundled them into the back of their vans and took them to the Industrial Area police station.

“We told them that we were only passengers and that we had nothing to do with the ongoing dispute between the two contractors, but the police officials did not listen,” a passenger Zaffar Satti said.

Another man in lock-up said he was waiting for his bus to Peshawar to leave and had gone to the nearby water cooler for a drink of water when suddenly several squads of police arrived and bundled him and others into the back of their vans.

“We do not even know why they picked us,” he said.

Some passengers said that they had seen some people brandishing guns at the bus terminal and that men from two groups pointed guns at each.

However, instead of picking up the armed men, the passengers claimed that police had detained them instead.

However, officials said that they had arrested at least two bus drivers and staff of two bus stations.

Later, after keeping them in custody for several hours, police let a few of the passengers go at around 9pm.

A police officer said that they had received information over the police radio that some people brandishing guns had been spotted at Faizabad at a time when there was high alert since the federal finance minister and the prime minister’s son was appearing before a joint investigation team at the nearby Federal Judicial Academy.

The officer added that acting on the information, police sent multiple squads to the station and arrested several people from the scene. He added that all those who were passengers would be released, but those who were involved in the dispute from the either side would be dealt with as per the law.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2017.