ISLAMABAD: Ten PTI MNAs arrested from the Parliament House’s premises in a late-night raid earlier this week were presented in the National Assembly on Thursday after their production orders were issued.
Just after 3am on Tuesday, plainclothesmen had stormed the Parliament House — disconnecting the power supply and barging into the building’s Services Branch — to whisk away at least 10 PTI legislators.
In light of the subsequent outcry by the PTI in the NA, Sadiq suspended five security staff for four months and transferred five officials of the Capital Development Authority — serving in the assembly on deputation — for disconnecting the building’s power during the ‘raid’.
A four-member committee headed by Additional Secretary Iftikhar Ahmad has been constituted to probe security arrangements and the “unauthorised movements” in the parliament.
A day ago, Sadiq had issued production orders for the MNAs in police custody — namely Sher Afzal Marwat (NA-41), Malik Amir Dogar (NA-49), Ahmed Chattha (NA-66), Zain Qureshi (NA-50), Sheikh Waqas Akram (NA-109), Zubair Khan Wazir (NA-42), Awais Haider Jakhar (NA-182), Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah (NA-33), Nasim Ali Shah (NA-39) and Yousuf Khan Khattak (NA-36).
Subsequently, the Islamabad police presented them in the NA today amid high security.
PTI MNAs can be seen in the Parliament House on Sept 12, 2024 as they receive fellow party lawmakers who were produced by the Islamabad police. — DawnNewsTV
Videos shared by the PTI on social media platform X showed MNA Ali Muhammad Khan — who gave a fiery speech in the NA on Tuesday — receiving his party colleagues.
Chants of “Imran Khan” could be heard as the detained lawmakers — including Dogar, Marwat and Qureshi — appeared out of a vehicle.
MNAs on judicial remand after IHC suspends physical custody
In a separate development, the 10 PTI lawmakers were now on judicial remand after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended a court verdict of their physical custody.
On Tuesday, an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) had handed over the PTI MNAs and several other workers to Sangjani police for eight days on physical remand, rejecting the request for a 17-day custody.
Today, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz took up a set of petitions filed on behalf of the detained lawmakers.
During the hearing, the prosecutor general argued that suspending the physical remands would “give a bad impression”. At this, Justice Farooq asked: “What bad impression? I have already made a clear observation.”
The chief justice then asked if the physical custody verdict would be converted into judicial if the court issued any orders. “This order of physical remand cannot be upheld but even if it is, what would happen?” he asked.
A lawyer of one of the petitioners then argued that a court should not grant a “lengthy physical remand” and that the ATC verdict had “not stated any reasons either” in its order.
“How would you defend this order of physical remand?” Justice Farooq asked the prosecutor general, following which he read out the first information reports filed against the PTI MNAs.
Justice Farooq noted that a two-judge bench does not hear cases on Friday but a special two-member bench would resume hearing the petitions tomorrow.
Subsequently, while suspending the ATC’s verdict, the IHC issued notices to the Islamabad advocate general and adjourned the hearing till 10am tomorrow (Friday).
The late-night ‘raid’
On Monday night — a day after the PTI held its Sangjani power show — there were confirmed reports about the arrest of firebrand leader Sher Afzal Marwat, Waziristan MNA Zubair Khan, and lawyer Shoaib Shaheen, who was taken into custody from his office in G-9.
Sources told Dawn that a well-equipped police contingent, led by Senior Superintendent of Police Operations Arsalan Jahanzeb, had been deployed outside Parliament House for hours before some unmarked vehicles arrived on the scene. This was followed by the disconnection of electricity to the building.
Subsequently, MNAs Zain Qureshi, Amir Dogar, Sheikh Waqas Akram, and Nasim Ali Shah — along with others — were brought out from Parliament House and handed over to the police for legal action.
Three of the four vehicles subsequently left the premises and the MNAs were bundled into different cars.
After this episode, the power supply was restored and the “under custody” MNAs were brought out of the building through the Cabinet Division gate, where they were “rearrested” by the police. The detained lawmakers were later moved to the Central Investigation Agency Centre.
After being freed by the Islamabad police on Tuesday, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan clarified that he had surrendered himself for arrest when Marwat was taken into custody.
