ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: The Islamabad police on Tuesday arrested Mohsin Dawar, member of the National Assembly, and 28 other Pashtoon Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) activists outside the National Press Club where they had gathered to stage a demonstration against the arrest of their leadership in Peshawar.

The law enforcement agency picked up the protesters, including three women, after cordoning off the area and shifted them to Kohsar police lock-up for violating the ban on gathering of five or more persons under Section 144 of the criminal procedure code imposed on the order of a district magistrate.

They were protesting against the arrest of PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen, who was shifted to Dera Ismail Khan on Tuesday in a sedition case after he had been remanded to Peshawar jail in another case for two weeks.

Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemned the arrest of lawmaker Mohsin Dawar and others outside the National Press Club. In a message on Twitter, the PPP chairman said: “I condemn the arrest of my NA colleagues Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir and others protesting the detention of Manzoor Pashteen. The government would be well served by remembering its oath to uphold the Constitution of Pakistan. Peaceful protest is not a crime.”

Pashteen shifted to D.I. Khan in sedition case after rejection of transit bail plea

A senior police officer said that initially the police had arrested the protesters for violating Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) under which the gathering of five or more persons was banned on the order of the district magistrate. The police were also examining their speeches and slogans before registering a case against them under relevant charges. To seek guideline in this regard, the police officer said, the relevant quarters, including the district magistrate, had already been approached.

He disclosed that the police also mistakenly picked up a journalist but he would be released soon. Besides, the three women might also be released, he added.

The senior officer on condition of anonymity told Dawn that they had reports that some “prominent legislators” belonging to different political parties were also present in the protest. However, they had left the venue before the police arrival or managed to escape during police action, he added. “Their presence at the protest is being verified,” he said, adding that action would be taken against them, if it was confirmed.

Another police officer said some protesters escaped from the spot during the police action but efforts were under way to identify and arrest them.

According to the police, those arrested belonged to different areas including Peshawar, Swabi, South Waziristan Agency, Loralai, Islamabad, Chakwal, Rawalpindi, North Waziristan Agency, Bannu, Mirpur Khas and Karachi.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan reacted to the tweet of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani over Mr Pashteen’s arrest, terming it “interference” in the internal affairs of Pakistan and contrary to diplomatic norms.

Responding to Mr Ghani, also through her official account on Twitter, the PM’s aide said: “The Afghan leadership should keep in mind the principles of non-interference in international relations while issuing such statements.” She said Pakistan strongly advocated promotion of peace in the region and was desirous of working collectively for achievement of shared target of peace in Afghanistan.

While paying tribute to martyrs, Dr Awan said the brave masses and armed forces of Pakistan had rendered great sacrifices for restoration of peace and added “miscreants” would not be allowed to destroy peace of the motherland as law of the land would take its course against them.

Apparently supporting Mr Pashteen’s arrest, the PM’s aide said it was obligatory under the law to take action against those who spoke against the Constitution.

Manzoor shifted to D.I. Khan

Meanwhile, police shifted Mr Pashteen from Peshawar central prison to D.I. Khan after a district and sessions judge granted his transit custody to them in a sedition case registered against him at D.I. Khan’s City police station on Jan 21, three days after he had addressed an event there.

Earlier on Monday, he was remanded to the Peshawar jail for 14 days by a judicial magistrate hours after his arrest at a house that was being used as local office of the PTM in the Tehkal police station area.

On Tuesday, the Peshawar district and sessions court rejected his transit bail plea with the observation that it would be appropriate for the petitioner (Manzoor) to file bail application before the relevant court in D.I. Khan as the case had been registered there.

His counsel, Shahab Khattak and Farhadullah Afridi, who moved the transit bail plea, informed the court that their client was charged in a concocted case. He was a rights activist and on the day of occurrence he had propagated for reforms in the Constitution of Pakistan, they claimed, while requesting the court to grant transit bail to the petitioner so that he could himself appear before the concerned court in D.I. Khan.

According to the FIR, Mr Pashteen in his speech at D.I. Khan claimed he did not accept the Constitution of Pakistan and that it was against fundamental rights. It was stated in the FIR that through his speech Mr Pashteen tried to create hatred among different nationalities of Pakistan and also used derogatory language against the state.

The FIR was registered under Section 123A (condemnation of creation of Pakistan), 124-A (sedition), 120-A (criminal conspiracy), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the PPC and Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2020