SAHIWAL: The police arrested Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Naveed Aslam for manhandling a female postmaster officer of the General Post Office on Thursday.

District Police Officer Amir Taimoor said a case had been registered on the complaint of officer Sofia Qasim.

Dawn learned the GPO staff closed the office for public dealing after the incident. Union secretary Hafiz Mujahid told Dawn the GPO would remain closed till further strategy. The union will stage a sit-in at the GPO building against the incident.

Ms Qasim told reporters she was sitting in her office when she was slapped and manhandled without any reason by one of the senior district office bearer of the ruling political party.

Eyewitnesses said Mr Aslam, PTI district information secretary, stormed into the SPM office at 11am and slapped her for not “performing well: He did so in front of her 100 subordinates.

She told Dawn Mr Aslam was a regular GPO client as he does an online selling business. His money orders are received which are properly dispatched to his residence in Fateh Sher Colony. Javed, Fateh Sher area postman told Dawn that on Tuesday, he delivered Rs52,000 money orders to him. The GPO complaint cell in charge said they never received any complaint from Aslam in the last two years.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2020