LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership on Sunday decided to lodge a case against the Rangers and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for “whisking away” its Chairman Imran Khan from the premises of Islamabad High Court on May 9, according to a declaration issued by the main opposition party on Sunday night.
The Rangers personnel had arrested the former prime minister — who was voted out of office through a no-confidence motion in April last year — in the Al-Qadir Trust case while executing a arrest warrant issued the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
A meeting of the party’s central leadership was held on Sunday with its Chairman Imran Khan in the chair. The meeting strongly condemned the “abduction” of the PTI chief and said that a Supreme Court’s high-powered commission be formed to investigate killings of citizens on May 9 and attempts of creating anarchy in the country.
During the meeting, it was decided to lodge cases over murders of unarmed citizens during the peaceful protests. “Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, caretaker Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief ministers — Mohsin Raza Naqvi and Azam Khan — police officers, including IGs and others, will be nominated in FIRs,” read a statement issued after the meeting.
The PTI statement said the Punjab caretaker government has no legal or Constitution justification to continue as the Supreme Court’s deadline (May 14) for holding elections in the province expired on Sunday and termed it “murder of the Constitution.
The PTI urged authorities concerned to launch a probe into a “pre-planned” strategy to create anarchy during the “peaceful” protests of the party workers and incidents of firing on the citizens.
It is to be recalled that violent protests erupted in different parts of the country soon after the PTI chairman was taken into custody by the Rangers personnel.
At least 10 people were killed and dozens of others sustained injuries during the days-long protests with internet services remaining suspended since then across the country.
After the supporters attacked military installations, the army said that May 9, — the day when chaos gripped the nation following Khan’s arrest — would go down in history as a “dark chapter”.
The PTI meeting also expressed severe concerns over the “handing over” of Islamabad’s Red Zone to the private militia of an allied party of the government — referring to the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) key ally Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) whose chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced a sit-in outside the Supreme Court on Monday (today).
In its declaration, the PTI vowed to respond to the efforts made by the ruling alliance to blackmail the apex court or stop it from performing its Constitutional duties with people’s force.
On Friday, the PDM announced staging a “peaceful” sit-in outside the SC in Islamabad on May 15 against Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial for “facilitating” and giving “extraordinary protocol” Imran Khan.
“Free, fair and immediate general elections are the sole solution to national stability, political and economic crisis [being faced by the country],” it added.
