CM Punjab Hamza Shehbaz orders immediate release of Dr. Shireen Mazari
ISLAMABAD, May 21 (SABAH): Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab to immediately releaser Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and former minister Dr. Shireen M. Mazari after hours of her arrest by the officials of ECE Dera Gahzi Khan from Islamabad on Saturday.
Hamza Shehbaz said that the arrest of any woman did not comply with the social norms of society. He said that the investigations should be held from the officials of the anti-corruption department who arrested Shireen Mazari. Hamza Shehbaz said that PML-N as a political party believes in respect of the women. He said that if in the result of the investigations if the arrest is necessary then the law will take its own course.
Earlier on Saturday, Shireen Mazari’s daughter Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, in a tweet, claimed Shireen Mazari was “beaten and taken away by male police officers”, adding: “All I have been told is that Anti-Corruption Wing Lahore has taken her.”
The case against the PTI leader was filed at the request of Deputy Commissioner Rajanpur, after which, the Anti-Corruption Establishment Punjab registered the FIR.
Mazari is accused of encroaching upon a piece of land. A complaint was lodged against her on March 11, 2022, while AC Rajanpur was directed to inquire into the matter.
The official concerned prepared the report of the case on April 8 and in the light of this, the Anti-Corruption Establishment registered a criminal case under its Rules 2014.
The first information report (FIR) registered against the former minister said during the scrutiny of record, it revealed that Shireen Mehrun Nisa Mazari in connivance with revenue officials fraudulently and through bogus mutation transferred 800 Kanal land in favour of bogus company namely M/s Progressive Farms Limited.
Furthermore, the FIR said the Federal Land Commission in its report declared this mutation bogus. “During the perusal of record, it revealed that land measuring 1,386 Acres of Mst. Shireen Mehr-un-Nisa Mazari was surrendered to Provincial Govt through Land Commission. In Mutation No. 39 dated 05.07.1973, there is cutting and tempering.”
Officials of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) confirmed to a private TV channel that Mazari had been taken into custody.
Islamabad police, however, disagreed with the version of Mazari’s daughter, saying: “Dr. Shireen Mazari was arrested by female police officers as per the law on the request of the anti-corruption department. News of any mishandling is baseless.”
In available footage of her arrest, which was aired by broadcasters, Mazari could be seen being dragged out of a car by female police personnel while she could be heard protesting: “No. Don’t touch me.”
Unidentified voices in the footage could be heard telling her that “there is no issue” and the matter could be discussed “peacefully”. “You are using violence. Don’t you take my phone … you b*****d,” Mazari could be heard saying in response.
Soon after, Mazari’s daughter petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the arrest as the IHC staff, which had retired for the day, returned to the court premises.
The petition urged that it be accepted and a production order be issued for Mazari.
It also requested that the concerned law enforcement agencies be directed to produce the PTI leader and subsequently be restrained from “extending threats” to the petitioner and her family.
“It is in the public knowledge that the petitioner’s mother was a furious critic of the violation of human rights in the hands of the law enforcement agencies. […] It is also on record that petitioner and her mother were often made target[s] for their bold and straightforward stance with regard to human rights violations in the country,” the petition said.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah was at his residence when he was informed about the urgent nature of the petition. He is expected to decide shortly whether or not there will be an immediate hearing on the petition.
PTI leaders Asma Qadeer, Zille Huma and Anita Mehsood submitted an application in the Kohsar police station for the registration of a first information report (FIR) against Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz over Mazari’s “kidnapping”.
In the application, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the PTI leaders stated that the video of Shireen’s “arrest” was available. According to the rules, they said, the ACE Punjab had to record the details of its arrival and departure from the capital at the Kohsar police station, since Islamabad was not a part of Punjab.
However, this was not done so, the application noted, adding that it “meant Hamza Shehbaz was responsible for this entire incident”.
“Therefore, an FIR should be registered against those responsible, who can be seen in the video, and Hamza Shehbaz for this illegal action and Shireen Mazari’s kidnapping,” it stated.
Following the intense backlash, Punjab CM Hamza Shehbaz ordered Mazari’s release, saying that he did “not agree with” the arrest and that action will be taken against the anti-corruption staff that was behind the incident.
“As a woman, Shireen Mazari should be respected,” he said in a statement. “The arrest of a woman is not in line with our social values.”
“Following the investigation, if the arrest is unavoidable then the law will find its way,” he said, adding that “the PML-N, as a political party, believes in respecting women.”
The chief minister said he condemned the use of “shameful language” against fellow PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz but “revenge is not our style”. He was referring to former prime minister and PTI leader Imran Khan’s misogynistic remark made on Friday in Multan.
He instructed Rawalpindi Police to have Mazari freed from the anti-corruption officials’ custody.
Outside the Kohsar police station, a visibly distraught Imaan gave a brief statement to the media, in which she termed her mother’s detention a “kidnapping”. “She was kidnapped — I won’t say she was arrested,” she said, standing alongside PTI senior leaders Fawad Chaudhry and Shibli Faraz. “When someone is arrested, the police inform you on what charge [a person] is taken away for,” she added.
“I don’t know where she is. She has been forcibly disappeared by this government because they think women are soft targets.” She then said: “I won’t spare anyone if anything happens to my mother.” She then walked away and said she would let the PTI officials speak.
When he spoke, Fawad Chaudhry agreed with Imaan’s characterisation of the detention being a kidnapping. “This is an abduction. We don’t know about her whereabouts. This is a grave human rights violation.”
He added that the manner in which this government picked up a woman and “subjected her to violence and tore her clothes and the inhumane way she was taken [is condemnable]”.
Dr. Shireen Mazari is a respected academic and is well known for her services to human rights, Fawad Chaudhry said.
“This is declaration of war by the government, and if that is the case, it’s a declaration of war from our end as well. Now if there has to be a fight then it will be a fight.”
Meanwhile, former special assistant to the prime minister on political communication, Shahbaz Gill, asked PTI workers to reach the capital’s Kohsar police station.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Spokesperson, MPA Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, said that Mazari’s family “tampered” with land records and “forcefully took it back from poor farmers”.
“According to the report of the federal land commission, action was taken against the revenue officers in the area at that time and Shireen Mazari was the beneficiary. The land is in their possession. There are more than 200 petitioners,” he said in a press conference in Islamabad. Khan added that investigation should be conducted into the “blatant fraud”.
He said the case was registered in March when the PTI was in power. “Warrants had been issued. There was a judicial order to arrest. We are not the complainants but justice will be done.”
The spokesperson disclosed that the FIR from March was not the only one, rather, dozens of cases had been registered in 2008 and 2013, adding that cases had been lodged against Mazari;s entire family.
“We are specifically saying that they forged documents, destroyed revenue records, grabbed land and filled incorrect information.”
He also called the former minister a “fraudulent character and bad-mouth”
PML-N leader Ataullah Tarar, who addressed the press conference alongside Khan, advised the PTI that they should “not worry (aap ne ghabrana nahi hai)”. “You [took over] 800 kanals of land and now you’re saying your clothes were torn.”
Meanwhile, former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan said Mazari was brave and fearless and if the government believed it could “coerce her through this fascism”, it had made a miscalculation.
“Our movement is completely peaceful but this fascist imported govt wants to push the country towards chaos. As if sending the economy into tailspin wasn’t enough, they now want anarchy to avoid elections,” he claimed.
Imran said the PTI would protest on Saturday and he would announce the date for the party’s planned long march to the capital after a meeting of the core committee today (Sunday).
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar said party workers across Pakistan would protest against Shireen’s “illegal detention”.
PTI Punjab president Shafqat Mahmood condemned what he termed the “illegal and brutal kidnapping” of the former minister. He also announced that the party would hold a protest at Lahore’s Liberty roundabout at 8pm.
PTI leader Farrukh Habib also condemned the detention. “Shireen Mazari was insulted by male police officers and was dragged away and arrested,” he said on Twitter. “Officials had also visited her house a few days ago.”
Former law minister Babar Awan lashed out at the “shameless and show-off” government for detaining Mazari, saying it was proving that no one was safe.
PPP MNA Nafisa Shah said it was “wrong to arrest” Mazari who had no allegations against her.
PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar strongly condemned the incident and said the detention was “deplorable and the worst form of political oppression”. “Things never seem to change in the land of the pure,” he said.
Meanwhile the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah has ordered the ministry of interior’s secretary to produce PTI leader Shireen Mazari before the court at 11:30 PM tonight, after she was manhandled and arrested from outside her residence in Islamabad by police officials.
The IHC reopened outside its usual working hours after Mazari’s daughter Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir filed a petition against her mother’s arrest.
In a three-page court order, the high court issued directives for the interior secretary and also summoned Islamabad Inspector General of Police Dr. Akbar Nasir Khan and Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon as it sought an explanation that “under what authority of law the fundamental rights of Dr. Shireen Mazari were violated while she was within the jurisdiction of this Court”.
The IHC said that its order should also be sent to Islamabad Advocate General Barrister Jahangir Khan Jadoon and Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali.