G-B CM reportedly under house arrest for 'sheltering PTI leaders'

G-B House declared sub-jail; contingent of police and rangers deployed outside it

ISLAMABAD:

Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid was reportedly placed under house arrest on Thursday for “sheltering Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders”.

According to Express News, the chief minister had provided shelter to the PTI leaders in G-B House, after which he was placed under house arrest.

The house has been declared a sub-jail and a contingent of police and rangers was also deployed outside it.

As per sources, PTI leaders Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Malika Bukhari, Musrat Cheema and others were taken into custody from G-B House Islamabad earlier.

Sources also reported that the role of Khurshid is being evaluated for sheltering the leaders, who were wanted by the police, in the G-B house. Moreover, it was further reported that strict action is not being taken against the CM due to his post, however, it has been decided to keep an eye on his activities in the future.

They maintained that if the CM wants to go to G-B for official duties, the Interior Ministry will consider it, but he will not be allowed to do any activities in Islamabad.

Read Imran asks ISPR to 'listen carefully' as he calls out senior military official again

Through its official Twitter handle, the PTI condemned the move and questioned "What message does the imposed mafia on the country want to convey at the global level?"

مافیا سیٹ اپ کا ایک اور بھیانک اقدام

وزیراعلی گلگت بلتستان خالد خورشید کو اسلام آباد میں House Arrest کر لیا گیا

ملک پر مسلط مافیا عالمی سطح پر کیا پیغام دینا چاہتا ہے؟ کیا انہیں مسئلہ کشمیر پر اس اقدام کے اثرات کا بھی ادراک نہیں ہے؟

عوام کے منتخب کردہ وزیراعلی کو ہاؤس اریسٹ…

— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 11, 2023

"Placing an elected Chief Minister under house arrest can not be a greater argument for dictatorship," it added.

Earlier in the day, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) said that PTI leaders, including its Vice President Shah Mehmood Qureshi, were arrested for "inciting arson and violent protests under a plan for threatening peace".

Qureshi was arrested in the wee hours of Thursday. As of now, party leaders Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, Falknaz Chitrali, Musrat Jamsheed Cheema and Malika Bukhari have been arrested.

A day earlier, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar were also taken into custody.

The crackdown on the PTI leadership comes after the arrest of PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan who was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case from the premises of the IHC, where he was present for two hearings.

The PTI chief’s arrest triggered protests in many cities of the country by his party activists and supporters as they clashed with the police and destroyed public properties.