Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar arrested from Islamabad

ISLAMABAD, May 10 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi was arrested on Wednesday hours after party’s Secretary General Asad Umar was taken into custody from the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) premises. Later on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has denied the news of arrest of Shah Mehmood Qureshi. PTI leader Musarat Jamshed Cheema in a statement said that Shah Mehmood Qureshi has not been arrested and the news of his arrest is false as he is present in Islamabad along with party leaders.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry also said that the police was waiting outside the Supreme Court (SC) to arrest him as soon as he gets out.

In a statement issued from inside the court, the former information minister Fawad Chaudhry said that, “We are inside the Supreme Court building to challenge the arrest of Imran Khan. I got my own order from the Islamabad High Court, which declares that the police cannot arrest without informing the court. Despite clear orders of protective bail, the police is all set to flout court orders and arrest me. They are outside the SC building and waiting for me to come out.”

Earlier in the day, party leader Asad Umar was arrested by the Islamabad police from the gate near the IHC’s writ branch. Asad Umar was arrested for violation of 16 MPO on Tuesday for leading the protest in Islamabad after the arrest of Imran Khan.

According to PTI lawyer Advocate Faisal Chaudhry, the former minister was arrested from the “small gate” of the court. The lawyer further stated that he did not know under which case the arrest was made.

Referring to the PTI leader’s arrest, the party, on its official Twitter account, termed it another “under the court premises by this fascist regime”.

Again an arrest under the court premises by this fascist regime. The Courts are not respected anymore in this country, democracy is completely suspended.

The party urged the nation to “come out” and “save this country”. PTI leader and former human rights minister Shireen Mazari said that Asad Umar was “arrested by [the] anti-terror squad from IHC”. “Seems IHC area has become a fertile ground to illegally arrest PTI leaders,” she said.

Now Asad Umar SG of PTI has been arrested by anti terror squad from IHC. Seems IHC area has become a fertile ground to illegally arrest PTI ldrs. Fascism confirmed. They can’t get the terrorists but PTI ldrs are now terrorists for cabal of crooks & the State? This is despicable.

“Fascism confirmed. They can’t get the terrorists but PTI leaders are now terrorists for [the] cabal of crooks and the State?” Mazari questioned, calling the situation “despicable”.

In a startling development on Tuesday, PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan was arrested in the Al-Qadir Trust case from the premises of the IHC, where he was present for two hearings.

This move was followed by raids at the homes of and arrests of PTI leaders, including former Punjab governor Omar Sarfaraz Cheema.

Cheema was arrested during the wee hours of Wednesday morning in a raid at his house by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab.