PDM concerned over delay in probe of Capt Safdar’s arrest in Karachi

The leadership of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of opposition parties, has expressed serious concerns over the delay in investigation of PML-N leader Captain (retd) Safdar’s alleged arrest under duress from his hotel room in Karachi last month.

“Despite the assurance of army chief that investigation would be completed in 10 days no headway has been made after passing of three weeks,” JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while addressing a news conference in Islamabad, said on Sunday.

Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had ordered an inquiry into the ‘Karachi incident’ – events that led to registration of a first information report (FIR) against Capt Safdar and his subsequent arrest during a visit to Sindh provincial capital last month.

“Taking notice of the Karachi incident, the COAS [chief of the army staff] has directed the Karachi Corps Commander to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible,” a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) read.

The motice was taken after PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while addressing a news conference, requested the army chief and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to investigate how the Sindh police chief was pressured into registering a case against the PML-N leader.

In a high drama, Captain (retd) Safdar – the son-in-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif – was arrested from the hotel room of his wife Maryam Nawaz in Karachi on the morning of October 19 for allegedly disrespecting the mausoleum of the Founder of the Nation, only to be released by a court hours later.

Safdar was in Karachi along with his wife Maryam to attend the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) rally and had allegedly chanted slogans at the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah when he paid a visit to the place along with other party leaders a day ahead of the rally.

During today's press conference, Maulana Fazl was flanked by other PDM leaders including former prime ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Raja Pervez Ashraf.

The JUI-F chief said PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif also attended the meeting from London via video link and participants deliberated upon overall political situation of the country.

“One of the major challenges of the country is economic crisis which has made lives of masses miserable and made it difficult for them to make both ends meet,” he added.

Fazl announced that a meeting of the alliance’s steering committee would be held in Islamabad on November 14, in which future course of action to oust the PTI-led government would be finalised.

The JUI-F chief said the opposition leaders also expressed serious concerns and condemned the controversial statement of Interior Minister Brig (redt) Ijaz Shah. “The statement tantamount to threatening the PML-N leaders that their party members would be killed in the same manner Awami National Party (ANP) workers were killed,” he maintained.

The meeting he said also stressed on the need to decide the foreign funding case against the ruling PTI at the earliest, alleging that the case has been delayed on purpose.

“Why foreign funding case is still pending… it clearly means that there is something fishy,” Fazl remarked.

The press conference was held following a meeting of the opposition leaders at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N’s) central secretariat in Chak Shahzad, called to decide the alliance's future course of action against the PM Imran Khan-led government.

The multi-party alliance held its first rally in Gujranwala on October 16, second in Karachi on October 18 and the third one in Quetta on October 25.

The PDM is yet to hold its rallies in Peshawar, Multan and Lahore - scheduled for November 22, November 30 and December 13 respectively.

During his inaugural address at the meeting, the JUI-F chief said, "We had a lot of options during the All Parties Conference".

However, he added that the PDM parties would have to think above the ideas and ideologies that each of them stands for. "The most important thing is that our narrative is unanimous," Maulana Fazl observed.

The JUI-F chief further questioned the PDM had a plan in place in case of an action that comes in response its activities, and whether the parties' workers and the masses were prepared for it.

Among other leaders present at the meeting were chief of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Awami National Party (ANP’s) Amir Haider Khan Hoti, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Balochistan National Party-Mengal’s Akhtar Mengal and Qaumi Watan Party’s Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao among others.

The meeting comes amid allegations of 'treason' and resignations from the PDM's constituent parties - at the centre of which has been the PML-N over what has been termed as its 'anti-state' narrative. The party saw two of its long-time members formally announce their resignations on November 7.

Disgruntled PML-N leader Lt-Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch announced he was stepping down from the party post, citing anti-military narrative of party supremo Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam.

Ousted premier Nawaz had fired a broadside not only against Prime Minister Imran Khan but also against the military establishment, accusing it of stealing public mandate at the opposition alliance PDM’s first power show in Gujranwala last month.

Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, another senior leader of the PML-N, also quit the party on Saturday accusing Nawaz Sharif of “betraying all those who stood by him through testing times”.

“From today, Nawaz Sharif is our political opponent,” said Nawab Zehri while announcing his resignation from the PML-N’s Central Executive Committee. “I’ll chalk out future course of action after consulting my friends and aides.”