MULTAN: The police arrested former MNA and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Amir Dogar along with 25 party workers following a clash outside Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) district office on Wednesday.
According to details, the workers of PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers clashed with each other outside the office of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during submission of nomination papers for the NA-155 by-election.
In a statement, District Election Commissioner Saleem Akhtar said that political workers have vandalised the office of electoral watchdog and created chaos.
The election commissioner said that action will be taken against all those responsible for the commotion in the office.
Soon after, police raided the guest house of Amir Dogar, and arrested him along with 25 PTI workers. Moreover, the police also arrested Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders – Sheikh Tariq Rasheed and Malik Anwar, in the case.
Multan police spokesperson told the media that 15 PTI workers, including Dogar, were arrested after a clash with PML-N workers outside the commission’s office.
He said Superintendent of Police (SP) Gulgasht Qazi Ali Raza arrested Dogar from his “dera” (camp).
The police spokesperson added that 10 PML-N workers had also been arrested, adding that action was being taken against party workers on the ECP’s request.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the spokesperson for the provincial election commissioner said Multan police had been directed to take “strict action” with regards to the incidents and to submit a report.
The statement added that those involved had been arrested and more arrests would be made after the first information report (FIR) was registered.
PTI cries foul
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar termed Dogar’s arrest to be “another fresh example of growing fascism”, adding that the “funeral of democracy is being carried out”.
عامر ڈوگر قومی اسمبلی کے تحریک انصاف کے سابقہ چیف وہییپ کی گرفتاری بڑھتی ہوئی فسطائیت کی ایک اور تازہ مثال ہے. جمہوریت کا جنازہ نکل رہا ہے
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) February 8, 2023
PTI Information Secretary Farrukh Habib condemned the arrest and demanded the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) “stop the use of dirty tactics”. He demanded that Dogar be released immediately.
ملتان میں عامر ڈوگر کی گرفتاری کی شدید مذمت کرتے ہے۔ PDM اوچھے ہتھکنڈوں کا استعمال بند کرے اور عامر ڈوگر کو فوری رہا کیا جائے
— Farrukh Habib (@FarrukhHabibISF) February 8, 2023
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said the arrest was a part of the “fascist government’s state policy of bullet and sticks”.
عامر ڈوگر ایک دلیر اور Seasoned political worker ہیں، ان کی گرفتاری اس حکومت کے مارنے پر کلینک کا ایک اور داغ ہے pic.twitter.com/8Qjk1ubJFw
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) February 8, 2023
“The clerk has once again, on the directions of the PDM, filed an FIR on a diligent leader like Amir Dogar.”
In another tweet, he said Dogar was a “brave and seasoned political worker”.
