PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been arrested in Islamabad, claimed his celebration on X, previously Twitter.
“PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been illegally arrested once again,” the social media publish on the celebration’s account stated, including that he was taken into custody by a big contingent of police from his residence within the federal capital.
According to the PTI, Qureshi was being taken to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) headquarters.
The FIA is at present interrogating incarcerated PTI chief Imran Khan in a case associated to a diplomatic cable that reportedly went lacking from his custody and which he has for lengthy introduced as proof of a “foreign conspiracy” to take away him because the prime minister.
According to PTI General Secretary Omar Ayub, Qureshi was taken into custody simply as he reached dwelling after addressing a press convention, throughout which the PTI vice chairman refuted experiences of splits throughout the celebration and introduced that they’d be submitting a plea within the Supreme Court towards the delay usually elections.
Ayub condemned Qureshi’s arrest, saying: “Had hoped that the reign of lawlessness would have ended after the exit of the fascist PDM government, but it appears that this caretaker government wants to break the records of their predecessor fascist government.”
Qureshi’s press conference
Earlier today, senior PTI leaders, including Qureshi, addressed a press conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad and dismissed media reports of a further split within what’s left of the party’s top leadership.
A Geo News report claimed that following PTI chief Imran Khan’s August 5 arrest within the Toshakhana case, the celebration’s core committee noticed one other cut up in addition to infighting, with each Vice Chairman Qureshi and Secretary General Ayub allegedly trying to succeed Imran because the celebration chief.
Qureshi addressed the declare and remarked that “a media house had attempted to spread confusion.”
Lauding the celebration’s core committee and authorized staff for the circumstances and tough circumstances they have been working in, Qureshi stated: “Such information [of further rifts] is concocted, a plan of disinformation and a part of a scheme to create confusion within the celebration rank and file and to have an effect on their minds.
“There is no truth to this and it will break down in due time.”
Qureshi stated the declare being made about him and Ayub attempting to take over the celebration had “no truth to it”. He stated Ayub had instantly responded to the allegation with a publish on X, and “negated that confusion with great understanding”.
He additionally ridiculed any notion of a management wrestle throughout the celebration, saying that Imran was nonetheless the chairman and the core committee had handed a decision affirming the identical.
Qureshi additionally addressed the matter of delay usually elections, including that the celebration would transfer the Supreme Court and was within the technique of finalising its petition.
He additionally known as on different political events such because the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and PPP to current a transparent stance on the difficulty.
Earlier as we speak, the PTI had shared Ayub’s rejoinder to the “fabricated news” concerning its alleged inside divisions.
Ayub stated there have been no teams within the celebration or its core committee.
“Decision-making is being done with consensus and very smoothly as per the framework made by Imran Khan himself,” he added, additional saying that he held Qureshi in excessive regard and there had not been any argument throughout any committee assembly.
Separately, PTI chief Advocate Sher Afzal Khan Marwat claimed there have been “traitors” current within the celebration’s core committee and Imran’s authorized staff, including that they’d put his personal life at risk.
“They have passed on recordings of the core committee meetings to the opponents and even to media persons […] If I am allowed by the relevant persons in the party and if I survive the hunt, I will share the names of the traitors very soon,” he stated.
Taking discover of his publish, the PTI stated his claims can be absolutely investigated and that Marwat ought to have expressed his views throughout the celebration as an alternative of taking to social media.
Condemnations
PTI chief Farrukh Habib claimed Qureshi was arrested for “expressing the party’s position in a press conference and for attending a tea of foreign ambassadors recently”.
Without naming anybody, he added: “They what to … silence all voices by any means. The protection of personal freedom given in the Constitution of Pakistan has been abolished, the Constitution has been suspended.”
Qureshi’s arrest over May 9
Qureshi’s arrest today comes a little over two months after his release in a case pertaining to May 9 protests, which erupted following the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan in a graft case.
He was taken into custody on May 11 by the Islamabad police on multiple charges, including “inciting violent protests”.
On May 18, the Islamabad High Court had ordered the former foreign minister’s release. However, his release was delayed due to his apparent reluctance to provide an undertaking to refrain from engaging in “unruly” protests.
When Qureshi was finally set free on May 23, he was again taken into custody by Punjab police from outside Adiala Jail after his detention orders were issued by the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner.
He was eventually released on June 6 after Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench ordered his immediate release and set aside his detention orders.
More to follow
