LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) activist Khadija Shah was re-arrested on Friday for 30 days, her fifth detention since the May 9 attacks.

The PTI sees it a ‘new normal’ in the country for its leaders and workers who are subjected to the worst political victimisation.

PTI President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and dozens of other leaders and activists are among those who of late secured bail in a number of cases against them, but they were re-arrested under new charges that popped up suddenly.

Khadija Shah, who is the granddaughter of Gen Asif Nawaz Janjua and daughter of former chief secretary Salman Shah, is a fashion designer by profession.

On Friday, she was detained for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance in Kot Lakhpat after she was given bail in a terrorism case.

Deputy Commissioner of Lahore Rafia Haider issued the detention order for Ms Shah, saying: “I am convinced that the presence of Ms Khadija Shah at any public place will pose a grave threat to the public safety and is likely to cause breach of public peace and public order.”

The deputy commissioner alleged that Ms Shah was found involved in ‘criminal activities’ during the investigation of the cases filed against her.

“Khadija Shah’s role extends beyond mere acts of vandalism to actively inviting and instigating others to create serious public disturbances and engage in similarly criminal behaviour,” the DC said.

Ms Shah has been reportedly booked in another terrorism case related to May 9 violence in Peshawar and may be handed over to police for investigation.

The PTI activist has been in jail for about six months in connection with attacks on Lahore Corps Commander House, Askari plaza, torching police vehicles and inciting public on social media.

She got bail in all these four cases but could not walk free after the emergence of a fresh detention order by the government.

Earlier, Ms Shah had written an open letter from the jail seeking “empathy and humanity” for the party’s 19 women prisoners, including herself.

She said she had been incarcerated for six months for ‘peacefully participating’ in the May 9 protest.

“Each PTI woman prisoner at Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore has borne unimaginable punishment,” she said.

Writing about the plight of 18 ‘innocent women’ imprisoned alongside her, Ms Shah said: “These women prisoners have no access to the world and are unable to share their plight; their families desperately struggling to balance the demands of life without them. The women incarcerated with me have suffered unbearable circumstances, and they are waiting for the world to take notice and speak for them.

“These 18 women in captivity aren’t just 18 women. They are 18 homes, 18 families, and countless lives completely shattered and at a standstill. I want to share the tragedy that is unfolding with each passing day to elicit the empathy and humanity that must exist in us all.”

The stories of separation, pain and suffering of May 9 prisoners are endless, she said and asked whether they were supporters of a political party or members of an institution, they were all Pakistanis and one people.

The PTI says that at least 10,000 party leaders and workers have been in jail in connection with the May 9 violent protests.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2023