PTI's Imran Ismail arrested in Karachi

Crackdown continues on party leadership over May 9 protests targeting sensitive state installations

KARACHI:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former governor Sindh Imran Ismail was arrested on Friday, reported his colleagues.

Imran Ismail's brother Adnan Ismail told the Express Tribune that police officials along with personnel of law enforcement agencies raided the PTI leader's residence located in DHA phase 8 and arrested him.

"SSP Keamari and some officials in plain clothes who happened to be law enforcement agencies personnel have shifted him to an undisclosed location," he alleged.

According to PTI leaders, police have shifted him to the Darakhshan Police Station in connection with an ongoing crackdown against the party leadership in the aftermath of the violent protests that erupted after PTI chief Imran Khan's arrest.

Former Governor Sindh @ImranIsmailPTI has been arrested. Fascism of this regime is completely unprecedented and shameful!

PTI leadership and thousands of peaceful Pakistanis must be released immediately.

— PTI (@PTIofficial) May 19, 2023

The PTI has called for its leadership and thousands of party workers and supporters to be released.

Read Punjab govt's negotiation team to head to Zaman Park after 2pm

On the other hand, the PTI has filed a petition in sessions court Jacoababd against the torture of another PTI leader Ali Zaidi, former federal minister, who was shifted to a district jail yesterday.

Subsequently, the court issued notices to jail district authorities and has summoned them on Saturday (tomorrow).

Notably, the Sindh government had previously issued an order to detain him for one month but granted him the luxury of house arrest. However, two days ago, a notification was issued cancelling the relief. He was shifted to district jail Jacobabad.

PTI chief Imran Khan strongly condemned the ‘illegal arrests and abduction’ of his party’s workers and leaders.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the former premier had two days ago highlighted that PTI vice chairperson Shah Mehmood Qureshi and secretary general Asad Umar were still incarcerated “for more than a week now”.

He had stated that “despite court orders, journalist Imran Riaz Khan was not presented in court” with “confirmed” reports of torture against him.

Imran had also demanded the “immediate release” of all women PTI leaders, workers, and the women family members of PTI leaders and questioned why Shehrayar Afridi’s wife was in jail.

Two weeks since the May 9 rioting, the PTI chief in a fresh statement today also condemned the attack on Jinnah House, which he said brought ‘disgrace’ to the country.