KARACHI: Former federal minister and president of PTI’s Sindh chapter, Ali Haider Zaidi, was arrested by police from the party’s office in Defence Housing Authority on allegations of fraud dating from a decade ago, police sources, party leaders and his family told Dawn on Friday.

Mr Zaidi’s daughter said in a video message that her father had been arrested for “standing up for sovereignty and respect for Pakistan”.

While there was no official confirmation from police for several hours, despite a video circulating on social media in which policemen in uniform were seen taking away the senior PTI leader from his office in DHA, Karachi police only confirmed the arrest late at night through its Twitter account.

“A case has been registered against Ali Zaidi as per law and proceedings have been initiated according to the law. Karachi police are utilising all resources for implementation of rule of law,” it wrote.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan strongly condemned the arrest. “Strongly condemn arrest of another of our senior leaders, Ali Zaidi from Karachi. All part of the London Plan where Nawaz has given assurances PTI will be crushed,” he tweeted.

A police officer requesting anonymity disclosed that the former minister for ports and shipping was “arrested by Malir police from the PTI Secretariat, located in DHA Phase-VI”. The politician was detained in a case of Rs180m forgery registered against him at Ibrahim Hyderi police, he added.

A copy of the FIR seen by Dawn showed that a property dealer, Fazal Illahi had lodged an FIR (144/2023) against Ali Haider Zaidi and two unidentified persons at Ibrahim Hyderi police station on April 15.

The complainant said he had a personal business and doing real estate business in Ibrahim Hyderi. Also, the suspect (Ali Haider Zaidi) was dealing in real estate in 2013, he added.

“He (Mr Zaidi) got Rs180m as loan from me and in return, he gave a file of property/plot as surety whose value was estimated to be Rs167,500,000 and promised payment of remaining Rs12,500,000 in six months.”

The complainant said his office was located in Jamot Para (Mohalla) of Ibrahim Hyderi where an agreement was signed between them. The property dealer said he asked the suspect several times for transfer of plot but he (Zaidi) adopted delaying tactics. Finally, when he attempted to get verification of the property file, it emerged that it was ‘fake’ as there was no record of it, he added.

He said that despite his frequent requests, the suspect refused to give him money.

The complainant alleged the suspect having a bad intention committed the fraud. He also sought police protection for himself and his children.

Police have invoked Sections 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of Pakistan Penal Code against Mr Zaidi and two unidentified suspects.

Reacting to Mr Zaidi’s detention, the PTI chief said over 3,000 party workers had been “arrested, abducted and terrorised”. He said a new plan was underway for “more illegal police action in Zaman Park after 27th of Ramazan or after Eid”, in a bid to weaken the PTI. But “let me state categorically this will not work. People’s anger (is) only increasing and they will see the blowback of this nefarious London Plan in elections,” he asserted.

Commenting on Mr Zaidi’s arrest, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry tweeted: “Incidents like the arrest of Ali Zaidi and Ali Amin Gandapur will increase the tension in politics. After this state terrorism, it will be difficult to hold talks even if the constitution is restored.”

On Saturday night, around 200 to 250 party workers, led by PTI lawmaker Raja Azhar, staged a protest demonstration outside the Ibrahim Hyderi police station and demanded his immediate release.

Mansoor Malik in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2023