Investigations: ST leaders released after 8 hours

KARACHI:

The chief of the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek, Sarwat Aijaz Qadri, and a central leader, Shahid Ghauri, were released after being detained by the Rangers for at least eight hours on Monday.

The leaders were detained following a series of targeted raids at the PST headquarters in Karachi. Qadri and Ghauri were not, however, arrested from the party's headquarters. The two leaders had been summoned to the Rangers headquarters for a meeting. When they reached the premises, their drivers and guards were sent back and they were kept in custody for the next eight hours.

Earlier on Wednesday night, a large contingent of law enforcers raided the party's headquarters located in the Old City area where a meeting regarding the preparations for Ramazan was taking place. The law enforcers apprehended around a dozen leaders and workers who are still in the Rangers' custody. On Sunday night, Rangers troops confiscated records, particularly those relating to the collection of Fitra and Zakat, during a raid at the PST headquarters.

Sources in the paramilitary force claimed the party's leaders and workers were being questioned about their possible involvement in crimes, including target killings and extortion. PST spokesperson Fahim Shaikh said that following the leaders' detention, the party has called a meeting of the central leaders of all four provinces to decide a future course of plan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2015.