Capt Safdar released on bail hours after being arrested from Karachi hotel

A local court in Karachi on Monday granted bail to Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar and issued his release orders against surety bonds of Rs100,000, hours after he was arrested from his hotel room in the metropolis.

He was arrested in connection to a case filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf local MPAs against him, his wife Maryam Nawaz, and other PML-N leaders for allegedly violating the sanctity of the Quaid's mausoleum on Sunday.

Safdar’s counsel contested before the judge that the case against his client was based on malafide, hence should be dismissed.

His counsel also rejected the allegations that Safdar hurled death threats to the complainant at the Quaid's mausoleum for being stopped from raising slogans. The lawyer also added that mobile and CCTV footages clearly showed that the PML-N leader was unarmed at the mausoleum and did not threaten anyone.

Safdar was detained at the Aziz Bhatti police station and was later presented before the local court. The police had requested for his physical remand but court rejected their plea.

Interestingly, Maryam before the court’s order in a press conference revealed that her husband Safdar had been granted bail.

Maryam shared a video on her Twitter account claiming that the police had forcefully entered her hotel room and arrested her husband.

“Police broke my room door at the hotel I was staying at in Karachi and arrested Capt. Safdar,” she tweeted.

Maryam during today’s news conference threw down the gauntlet and said: "Do not try to blackmail me through people around me, my relatives. Come arrest me if you have courage,” as she reacted to the arrest of her husband.

“Come arrest me, so the world could see your ugly face as they are watching it today,” she flanked by leaders of other component parties of Pakistan Democratic Movement – including Maulana Fazlur Rehman of JUI-F and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf of the PPP.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was, however, conspicuous by his absence from the important presser which was arranged on an emergency basis to give formal reaction to Capt Safdar’s arrest through the PDM platform.

The JUI-F chief, speaking on the occasion, said there are clips of [PM] Imran Khan also violating the sanctity of Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum. He maintained that Safdar was arrested in Karachi to cause a rift among the Pakistan Democratic Movement ranks.