As the controversy surrounding the arrest of Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar rages on, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has ordered a probe into the alleged abduction of Police IG Mushtaq Mahar by the Sindh Rangers.
According to a statement shared by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Bajwa has directed Karachi Corps commander to “immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible”.
The probe announcement by the army chief came after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari demanded that Gen Bajwa take notice of the incident.
Bilawal said that every police officer in Sindh, from a station house officer to senior police officers, were wondering who had “surrounded IG Sindh Mushtaq Mahar’s office at 2am on Sunday night”.
“Who were the two persons who went inside the IG’s house at 2am and where was our IG taken at 4am in the morning?” he asked.
SINDH POLICE DEMORALISED:
The pressure inflicted on the police to arrest Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader has demoralised the provincial police. In a leave application to the government, the IGP along with a dozen officers sought two-month leave over the treatment meted out to their department.
This move prompted a visit of Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah and PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to the IG House. It seems that the visit was fruitful as the police high-ups decided to postpone their leave plan for 10 days. They said the decision was taken “in the larger national interest” and pending the conclusion of the inquiry into how the arrest of PML-N leader Mohammad Safdar unfolded.
ARREST OF CAPT SAFDAR:
Safdar was arrested from his hotel room in the early hours of Monday from his hotel room for raising slogans at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and jumping over the grill surrounding the grave. The Sindh government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had distanced itself from the matter soon after the arrest.
Afterwards, the Sindh police tweeted that the arrest was lawful, but the tweet was deleted soon after it was put up. But after few hours, the tweet was updated again, wherein the police said that Safdar was arrested as per law.
