Islamabad police arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of National Assembly (MNA) Sher Afzal Marwat outside Parliament House following a National Assembly session on Monday.
According to Express News, a heavy police presence had gathered outside the Parliament House in anticipation. As PTI leaders exited the building, police took positions and swiftly moved to detain Marwat.
A scuffle reportedly broke out between Marwat’s supporters and the police during the arrest. However, police managed to surround and apprehend the MNA, seizing his vehicle before leaving the scene.
While Sher Afzal Marwat was forcefully taken into custody, another PTI leader, Aamir Dogar, exited the Parliament House without any hindrance.
Following Marwat’s arrest, several PTI leaders and parliamentarians decided to remain inside the Parliament building to avoid arrest.
The development took place hours after police in Islamabad filed three cases against the PTI leadership for failing to conclude last night’s rally on time, pelting stones on police officers, and violating designated routes.
The cases were registered under the Public Order and Peace Act, following the PTI’s public gathering at Islamabad’s Sangjani.
The first case was lodged at Sangjani Police Station for the rally exceeding its permitted time limit.
A second case was registered at Sumbal Police Station for violating the pre-approved route by leading convoys through Sadaat Colony and Srinagar Highway.
The third case, filed at Noon Police Station, pertains to stone-pelting on law enforcement officials, including senior superintendent of police (SSP) Safe City and other officers.
According to police sources, the prosecution has been prepared, with 28 local PTI leaders, including Sher Afzal Marwat, Zartaj Gul, Aamir Mughal, Shoaib Shaheen, Omar Ayub, Seemabia Tahir, and Raja Basharat, named in the cases.
The prosecution further alleges that PTI workers attacked police with stones and sticks after being stopped for route violations, leading to the arrest of 17 workers following the use of tear gas by authorities.
Earlier today, federal ministers Attaullah Tarar and Engineer Amir Maqam alleged that attendees at the opposition’s recent rally were forced to participate, accusing the opposition of using unethical tactics to fill their event.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, the ministers criticized the opposition, particularly the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, for his use of provocative language at the rally.
Yesterday, after a long gap, Imran Khan’s beleaguered party finally managed to hold a rally in Islamabad amid clashes with the capital’s police which left dozens of policemen and PTI workers injured.
Authorities had granted permission to the PTI to hold a public gathering in the capital on Sunday.
However, they had also turned Islamabad literally into a walled city with shipping containers blocking all the roads linking it to neighbouring Rawalpindi in anticipation of the rally and over 6,000 personnel of police and the Frontier Constabulary (FC) manning the routes.
Public transportation, including the Metro Bus service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, as well as the Green and Blue Line bus services within Islamabad, were suspended while trains arriving in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were delayed.
All hotels, guest houses, and shops around the gathering venue were also closed on the order of the relevant police station.
