LAHORE: The Daska police on Friday briefly held PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ataullah Tarar and released him after half an hour as the news spread and the party took to social media to condemn the event as well as the Punjab government’s handling of by-elections in the province.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz upped the ante when she tweeted: “The way Ata Tarar was arrested and released is reflective of extreme fear, confusion and disarray in the jaali (forged) govt camp. Jo marzi ker lo, tumhara jana thehr gaya (do whatever you want to, you are destined to go now). Insha Allah.”

Party’s Punjab Information Secretary Azma Bukhari announced the arrest when she tweeted: “O shameless people, you are so scared. We all are coming to Daska. Arrest us all, if you can.”

Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, however, denied any arrests.

According to Ms Bukhari, as soon as Ata Tarar left the venue of a party rally, police followed him. His guards were manhandled before being arrested and when Mr Tarar tried to intervene, he was bundled into a police van. When he asked the reason for his arrest, he was told that his guards’ vehicle carried arms, she claimed.

On being told that all those arms were licenced, the police accused him of violating Covid-19 standard operating procedures. However, when the government realised that the arrest could become a bigger issue, Tarar was released after almost half an hour.

Later, addressing a press conference, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan claimed that Tarar himself asked police to go to the police station where he would explain everything, and jumped into the vehicle himself along with another member of the bar.

“From the police vehicle he started tweeting and sending clips to his party people that he was arrested. He was never arrested, so there is no issue of releasing him. All this was designed to win sympathies of local people and mislead the media. The PTI is the only government following all rules, regulations and orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan in the by-elections. So, the opposition should stop misleading the nation,” she concluded.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2021