PTI moves court against arrest of election candidates

• PTI submitted a petition against arrest of election candidates
• The party said the candidates are being harassed by police
• Police raided the houses of PTI candidates in upcoming elections

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the arrest of party workers who have submitted nomination papers for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections.

The election commission will start the scrutiny of the nomination papers of election candidates. The last for scrutiny of nomination papers is March 22 while appeals can be filed against acceptance or rejection of nomination papers till March 27.

The PTI has expressed concern over the arrest and detention of candidates who have submitted their nomination papers in Lahore and across Punjab.

PTI Lahore President Sheikh Imtiaz Mehmood has submitted a petition challenging the arrest of PTI workers. The petition has been filed through Fawad Chauhdry and Advocate Zafar Iqbal. The federal government, Punjab government, DG FIA, IG Punjab and others have been made respondents.

The petitioner said the Punjab Assembly election schedule has been released on the directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. It said PTI aspirants from all over Punjab submitted their nomination papers but the police were continuously harassing PTI candidates to stop them from the election process.

The petitioner said police conducted late-night raids at the houses of the PTI candidates, their endorsers and proposers and picked up the majority. It urged the court to issue directives to stop harassing and arresting PTI candidates.

Police conducted raids and arrested dozens of PTI workers and leaders during a crackdown in Lahore and Islamabad. Islamabad Police claimed to have arrested 198 workers across the federal capital on accusations of rioting and clashing with police.

Police conducted raids at the homes of PTI leaders including Imran Khan’s Chief of Staff Senator Shibli Faraz. The capital police raided and searched PTI Senator Shibli Faraz’s house near Parbat Road but he was not present.

The capital police raided the house of PTI leader Anjum Tanoli in G-6 Islamabad. His family said police officials took Tanoli’s 10-year-old nephew and later released him.

Police arrested the father of PTI’s Noman Gujjar in Sector G-7 Islamabad. PTI worker Raja Shahid was arrested during a raid at his shop while Liaquat Tori was arrested from the Phulgran area.

Police also raided the house of PTI’s Raja Khurram Nawaz and Ali Muhammad Khan. Police also arrested and tortured Amjadullah Niazi during custody at Ramna police station.

In Lahore, police raided the house of former MPA Zaheer Abbas Khokhar but he was not present. The house of PTI candidate in PP-146 constituency Mian Salman Shoaib, and PP-145 constituency candidate Farooq Khan was also raided.

Police also conducted raids at the guest areas of PTI leaders Mian Aslam Iqbal, Mian Afzal Iqbal and Mian Amjad Iqbal.  A raid was conducted at PTI leader Chaudhry Umar Talib’s residence. Police arrested Talib’s brother Chaudhry Umair and a household employee.

The house of PTI central leader Shafqat Mahmood was also raided in Lahore’s Defence area. The office and house of PTI leader Malik Waqar Ahmed Gujjar were also raided by police in Lahore.

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