ISLAMABAD: Detained leaders of the opposition parties were brought to the capital on Tuesday to cast their votes in the Senate elections and kept in separate buildings which were declared sub-jail, Dawn has learnt.

They included Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and MNA Khawaja Mohammad Asif of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party MNA from Sindh Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah and MNA from South Waziristan Ali Wazir.

In separate letters, the Islamabad chief commissioner was reminded of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s order regarding production of the detained lawmakers and their presence during the voting on Wednesday (today).

One of the letters written by an official associated with Shehbaz Sharif stated: “Being a chronic patient of back pain, the hectic long distance drive from Lahore to Islamabad and same day return will take a detrimental toll on his health. It is, therefore, requested to bring him on Tuesday to his house No. 26 at Ministerial Enclave.”

Residences of Shehbaz, Khawaja Asif, Khursheed Shah and Ali Wazir declared sub-jail

The letter written on behalf of Khawaja Asif quoted an associated professor of ophthalmology and Mayo Hospital chief executive office as saying: “He is admitted to Eye Unit and operated for left phacoemulsification with intra ocular lens implantation and presently his condition is satisfactory and there is no objection on his travelling but due to his eye surgery, he is not advised to travel too much in a single stretch in a single day. It is, therefore, requested to bring him to Islamabad on Tuesday to his residence 302-F, Parliament Lodges.”

Both the letters stated that the houses of Mr Sharif and Mr Asif should be declared sub-jail and they be brought back to Lahore after the Senate polling.

In response to the letters, Chief Commissioner Amir Ahmed Ali has declared the houses of both PML-N leaders as sub-jail till the conclusion of polling and asked the capital police for guard duty outside the residences.

Similarly, Room No. 1 and Room No. 6 in Sindh House, Islamabad, have been declared sub-jail for Syed Khursheed Shah and Ali Wazir, respectively.

“The IGP Prison Sindh shall nominate the officers/officials who shall be responsible for the supervision and administration of the sub-jail, while IGP Sindh shall nominate the officers/officials who shall be responsible for their [Mr Shah and Mr Wazir] security during their movement,” separate orders issued by the Sindh home department said.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2021