Murad Saeed continues to influence K-P governance: PTI sources

Wanted in May 9 riots cases, Saeed is allegedly playing a 'divisive role' in fuelling conflicts within PTI's K-P wing

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Latest revelations suggest that Murad Saeed, a fugitive since May 9 last year, has maintained contact with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (K-P) Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, and other key Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders.

Murad Saeed wanted in connection with the violent events of 9 May, has reportedly been in hiding.

Despite his fugitive status, sources within the party confirm that Saeed remains influential in key decision-making within the KP government and PTI.

Insiders indicate that Murad Saeed has initiated moves to remove Atif Khan and Shakeel Khan from their positions.

Additionally, he has allegedly persuaded CM Gandapur to take a firm stance on matters concerning Shakeel Khan.

Sources within the party claim that Murad Saeed is playing a "divisive role", contributing to internal conflicts within PTI's KP wing and parliamentary party.

Furthermore, Mishal Yousafzai has been removed from her position for facilitating a meeting between a leader of the opposition faction and the PTI founder at Saeed's behest.

Saeed, who previously represented NA-4, is a member of the PTI’s core committee.

He also served as the federal minister of communications. Following the events of May 9, he has gone into hiding.

Earlier this year in January, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed the police and other law-enforcement agencies to produce details within a week of the criminal cases registered against former federal minister and PTI leader Murad Saeed, who remains in hiding.

Justice Mohammad Ijaz Khan of a single-member bench has issued notices to key officials, including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary, the Inspector General of Police, and directors of the National Accountability Bureau, Federal Investigation Agency, and the provincial anti-corruption establishment.

The notices demand responses to a petition filed by Saeedullah, the father of Murad Saeed, seeking details of any FIRs registered against his son and any orders for his detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.

Advocate Shah Faisal Uthmankhel, representing the petitioner, argued that his client had made every effort to obtain information about the cases against his son, but the authorities had consistently refused to provide any details.

He further stated that Murad Saeed, who had gone into hiding, had attempted to seek legal remedies through the courts, but the local police had obstructed all his efforts to approach the relevant judicial bodies.

Murad Saeed's case

In the aftermath of the 9 May protests, many PTI leaders and workers went into hiding to avoid arrest and possible trials amid a government crackdown.

Among them, former federal minister Murad Saeed narrowly escaped a police raid in October 2023 at a house in Peshawar’s Defence Housing Authority.

During the raid, his brother-in-law, Asad Ilyas, and two of Saeed’s personal staff members were arrested. The police also charged other family members, including two women, in an FIR for allegedly assisting Saeed’s escape.

The police had raided the house following information that Saeed, who faces multiple charges including under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorist Act, was present there.

In a bid to capture him, Peshawar Police launched another raid on Kamran Bangash’s hujra in Chamkani on 22 October 2023. However, instead of Saeed, they arrested Bangash for allegedly resisting and aiding Saeed’s escape.

By January 2024, Murad Saeed, along with six other PTI members, was declared a proclaimed offender by the Lahore anti-terrorism court for failing to comply with arrest warrants related to the 9 May violence.

Despite several raids, the police reported that the suspects remained at large, having gone into hiding.