PTI accuses Karachi police of ‘raiding’ its city headquarters – Pakistan

KARACHI: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday accused the Karachi police of “storming” its city headquarters, “stealing” all the belongings inside and sealing many of the rooms in the building.

The police, however, rejected the raid allegations and said only legal proceeding were carried out at Insaf House by a bailiff in relation to the party’s tenancy dispute.

The party leaders said that the move from the law enforcement agency came as a surprise because no prior notification was given by the authorities. They also accused the police officials of “misbehaving with the workers” who reached the headquarters and tried to put some resistance.

PTI-Karachi president Raja Azhar came up with strong reaction against the “police raid”, calling it the “worst form of martial law.”

Police deny allegation; say a bailiff conducted legal proceedings at Insaf House over a tenancy dispute

“A heavy police force stormed the Insaf House, broke the locks and entered the rooms. Why did they raid our office? We have consistently been saying that the Sindh government should stop these illegal actions,” he added.

He said that the PTI is the largest political party and no one can harass its workers in this manner. “Insaf House is our political home, and any illegal raid by the police on it will be considered an attack on us,” he added.

Videos and images shared by the party showed empty rooms of the building after the alleged raid while seals were found on entrance of its several rooms.

PTI spokesperson Fauzia Siddiqi claimed that the raiding police party also took away computers and all other stuff of the party’s media cell set up inside the Insaf House.

Police deny raid allegation

However, the police rejected the PTI allegations.

A statement issued by the office of the Karachi police chief said there was no raid carried out.

It said that a police mobile accompanied a bailiff, who carried out legal proceedings at Insaf House in a tenancy dispute on the order of the senior civil judge-South. “The police mobile was present solely for the bailiff’s security,” the statement said.

However, the PTI called the police claim “ridiculous” and said there’s no tenancy dispute.

“The PTI is in talks with the owner of the building to buy the property for quite some time. But the matter went into back burner after the political crisis emerged and party came under state restrictions. However, the talks are still going through the defined legal ways and it is a sheer lie that the party is in some kind of tenancy dispute with the owner,” Ms Siddiqi added.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2025