Key accused ‘held’ for rioting at spy agency’s office
Supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan throw stones after police fire tear gas to disperse them in Lahore on May 9, 2023.—File photo
Police on Monday claim to have arrested the primary suspect in a case about the destruction and rioting at the office of an intelligence agency in Rawalpindi on May 9.
Sajjad Haider, former chairman of union council-18 and a member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was taken into custody by the Newtown Police.
Police sources claimed that Haider was nominated in the first information report (FIR) of the case pertaining to rioting by the PTI leaders and workers in the aftermath of the arrest of their party chief and former prime minister Imran Khan.
On May 9 and 10, the country witnessed chaos and rioting as scores took to the streets in retaliation to the PTI chief’s arrest, which was declared “illegal” two days later by the Supreme Court.
The sources said the suspect, who had been evading arrest since the attack on the intelligence agency’s office in the Shamsabad neighbourhood on May 9, was sent to the Newtown police station for further investigation.
The case regarding the destruction and vandalism at the intelligence agency’s office has been registered under the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. Raja Rashid Hafeez, a former provincial minister, is still at large in the case.
They said the number of apprehended suspects in the case has reached 78 while former minister Shehryar Afridi and former provincial lawmaker Seemabia Tahir have been discharged from this case.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 22nd, 2023.