KARACHI: Police on Sunday booked several leaders and workers of the Pashtun Tahfuzz Movement (PTM) in an abetting mutiny case after they held a protest demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club demanding release of MNA Ali Wazir and calling upon the Sindh government to stop arrest and deportation of Afghans.

SSP-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the Artillery Maidan police registered an FIR under Sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The leaders and workers were booked for allegedly delivering provocative speeches and using ‘undesirable language’ against the forces and institutions, the police said.

According to the FIR, registered on behalf of the state through police officer Nayyar Dean, around 700-800 PTM and Pakhtun Students Federation leaders and workers held a protest outside the KPC.

It said the PTM leaders warned “current and former officials of the forces” to amend their attitude or they would do something which might be unimaginable for them.

The FIR said they chanted provocative slogans and “raised the flag of another country”.

Earlier, hundreds of PTM and PkSF workers converged in front of the press club. They were carrying banners inscribed with demands like ‘Sindh government stops undesirable attitude towards Pakhtuns in Karachi’, ‘Stop insult to Afghan women, children and young men’, etc.

Addressing the protesters, the PTM leaders alleged that the provincial government was arresting Afghans even those who had valid identity documents.

They said so far, 2,000 Afghans had been detained and 1,200 of them deported to Afghanistan.

They also demanded release of MNA Ali Wazir, saying whenever he got bail in any case, one more case was registered against him just to keep him in prison.

Published in Dawn, January 23th, 2023