Sheikh Rashid slams arrest of lawmakers inside parliament as 'inappropriate'

Former Interior Minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) cheif Sheikh Rasheed has condemned the arrests of parliamentarians inside Parliament House, deeming the action "inappropriate."

Speaking to the media at Islamabad's New Kacheri on Tuesday, Rasheed urged patience, hinting at significant developments in the coming weeks.

"Wait until 20 September and see how the skies change colors," he remarked.

The ink on the legislation regulating public gatherings was barely dry when the arrests started rolling in, with Islamabad police arresting PTI leaders Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, and Advocate Shoaib Shaheen outside the parliament.

The comments came after police cracked down on key figures of  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) barely after the party ventured into its first public showdown on Monday.

Several PTI lawmakers, including PTI chairperson Barrister Gohar, Sher Afzal Marwat,  Zain Qureshi and Sheikh Waqas Akram, have been taken into custody from within the Parliament House.

Islamabad police also detained MNA Naseem-ur-Rehman, Shah Ahad Khattak, and Sunni Ittehad Council's (SIC) Sahibzada Hamid Raza.

Earlier, a local Islamabad court reserved its verdict on the acquittal plea of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed in a case registered at Aabpara Police Station. The case involves alleged violations of Section 144.

Sheikh Rasheed and Sadaqat Abbasi, along with their legal team, including lawyers Sardar Masroof and Sardar Shehbaz, appeared before the court for the hearing.

Lawyer Sardar Masroof argued that other co-accused in the case had already been acquitted, and requested the court to dismiss the charges against his clients as well. The court has since reserved its decision.