PESHAWAR: Police arrested MNA Ali Wazir here on Wednesday in connection with a case registered against him and several leaders of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in Karachi after a recent public meeting.

They have been accused of committing several offences, including hatching a criminal conspiracy and passing derogatory remarks against state institutions.

Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mohammad Ali Gandapur told Dawn that Mr Wazir had been arrested at the request of Sindh police as a case had been registered against him at Sohrab Goth police station, Karachi.

The CCPO said that Mr Wazir would be shifted to Karachi after fulfilling legal requirements. He would be produced before a court on Thursday (today) to get his transit custody for shifting him to Karachi.

Witnesses said Mr Wazir was arrested after he attended a ceremony held at Shuhada APS Public Library in connection with the sixth anniversary of the Army Public School carnage, which had left 147 people, mostly students, dead.

Several leaders of the PTM, who have also been charged in the case, were also present but were not held.

The FIR was registered on Dec 7, a day after the PDM public meeting. The case was registered under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 505-B (statements for inducing a person to commit offence against state), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 188 (disobeying order of public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Apart from Mr Wazir, others nominated in the FIR include PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen, MNA Mohsin Dawar, Ms Sana Ijaz, Muhammadullah Mehsud, Noorullah Tareen, Saleh Jan, Mullah Behram, Abdullah Nangyal, Sher Khan Mehsud, Qazi Tahir, Gilaman Pashteen, Dr Said Alam, Hidayatullah Pashteen and Javed Raheen.

The complainant in the case, SHO Riaz Ahmad Bhutto, claimed that when he reached the venue of the public meeting he saw the suspects addressing around 2,000 participants and trying to create hatred towards different groups and to create law and order situation. The SHO said that some of the suspects used derogatory language against security forces, police, Rangers and other state institutions.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2020