ISLAMABAD: Days after Shehbaz Gill, chief of staff to former prime minister Imran Khan, was arrested for allegedly attempting to incite soldiers to revolt against the top military leadership, police in Islamabad rounded up his driver’s wife at midnight, blaming her for riot and assaulting a raiding party.
The police confirmed in a series of tweets it raided a house where Izharullah, the driver, was staying and arrested his wife, Mehreen Izharullah, along with another person, whose identity is yet to be ascertained.
شہباز گل کےڈرائیور کے گھر چھاپے کا معاملہ۔
شہباز گل کے ڈرائیور کے گھر چھاپے اور گرفتاری کا عمل قانونی ہے، ڈرائیور کے اہلِ خانہ نے کارِ سرکار میں عملی مزاحمت کی۔ البتہ اسلام آباد کیپیٹل پولیس اس کیس سے جڑے تمام تر شواہد و ثبوت اکٹھے کررہی ہے۔ 1/3
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) August 11, 2022
The charges against Gill were related to comments made by him and aired on ARY News on Monday night, which the interior minister, Rana Sanaullah Khan, claimed was a planned move to malign the military.
Gill had said in the TV appearance that there were attempts to create hatred against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party among the middle and lower ranks of the army, whom he said “loved the party”.
He suggested the junior ranks were being pressured by the top brass and that these orders were against the wishes of the majority, and that the junior ranks should reconsider following orders that were against their principles.
In a second first information report (FIR) registered against Izharullah and others, police said Gill — who has been remanded in police custody — revealed during interrogation that he had given his mobile phone, which contained considerable matter regarding the case against him, to his driver at the time of his arrest.
The FIR said he told police that Izharullah still had his mobile and was living at his in-laws’ residence in Islamabad.
فاشسٹ حکومت کے حُکم پر پولیس نےرات 3 بجے شہباز گل کے اسسٹنٹ کےگھر دھاوا بولا،خواتین پر تشدد کیا اور بغیر جُرم بتائے خواتین کو زبردستی تھانے لے گئے #امپورٹڈ_سیٹ_اپ_نامنظور pic.twitter.com/Wmesp8hnTs
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 11, 2022
Following this revelation, a special raiding party was constituted and it went to the house where Izhar was staying at 1:40 am on Thursday, the FIR said, adding that when the door was knocked, a man and a woman came outside.
“The man identified himself as Izharullah while the woman identified herself as his wife, Mehreen.”
The FIR said both of them began creating a hue and cry after seeing the police party and called five to six more people from inside the house.
Fake FIR registered on Mahreen Bibi. While wife of Izhar not named in FIR will spend another night in thana. @ICT_Police cowards harassing femaleS like this is the most shameless act of islamabad police, you could do in this rana sanaullah era. pic.twitter.com/P6OXjmxmla
— Hassaan Niazi (@HniaziISF) August 11, 2022
“All of them attacked the police party, put up resistance, began creating a hue and cry and threatened the police party. As a result, more people gathered at the scene,” the FIR read.
It alleged that while the suspects were putting up resistance, some of the suspects tore the shirt of a constable, Sajjad Shahid. They also tore buttons off his shirt and snatched his mobile phone and wallet, which contained his ATM card, service card and Rs15,000 cash, the FIR said.
It added that Mehreen and another suspect, Noman Zafar, were arrested from the scene while the rest managed to flee because of the dark.
Subsequently, a case was registered against all the suspects. Izharullah has also been nominated in the FIR.
