LAHORE/GUJRAT: Police have arrested PTI-backed MPA-elect Ahmar Rasheed Bhatti from Raiwind in the Jinnah House attack (May 9) cases, some nine months after the incident, inviting criticism on the social media over the police’s post-election action when the ‘suspect’ was celebrating his victory.

In another episode, the factories, mills and godown of PTI-backed MNAs-elect from Gujranwala - Mobeen Arif Jutt and Ehsanullah Virk - have been sealed by the local authorities.

The police high-ups confirmed the Raiwind raid saying the police acted in the wake of a mobile phone footage wherein he was provoking the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers to attack the Corps Commander House (Jinnah House) in Cantonment. They said the footage surfaced in September last year.

However, the arrest of Bhatti a few days after he won from PP-165 shocked many, triggering debate over the action when the PTI activists on social media declared it an attempt to pressurise the MPA-elect to change his loyalties.

Factories of two MNAs-elect in Gujranwala sealed

The police sources said the Township station house officer along with dozens of armed police personnel raided an outhouse from where he arrested the MPA-elect and handed him over to the investigation police in an FIR (96/23) registered with Sarwar Road police station. A mobile phone footage of the police raid also surfaced on social media.

“We arrested him in the wake of footage showing him provoking the PTI workers to attack the Corps Commander House”, Lahore Investigation DIG Imran Kishwar told Dawn on phone.

He said in the footage he was heard saying to his party workers “a rally had reached Sherpao bridge.”

The DIG said the ‘suspect’ also conveyed that the Rangers had fled the scene on seeing another big rally of the PTI workers at a picket set up by the law-enforcement agencies in Cantonment.

“Those friends (party workers) who couldn’t reach yet, immediately reach the Corps Commander House”, the DIG quoting the elected MPA said.

These are the unavoidable pieces of evidence that were sufficient for the police to arrest the suspect, he said.

Meanwhile, a source said the high command was unhappy over the Lahore police’s failure in arresting Ahmar Rasheed Bhatti in the case where he was nominated despite having evidence of his involvement in provoking his party workers.

He said the high-ups had admonished the leadership of the Lahore police following the reports that the suspect had been freely moving in his constituency to hold corner meetings ahead of the general elections.

On the other hand, the social media activists from the PTI lashed out at the police’s post-election action against the newly elected MPA as they linked the arrest with an expected attempt to pressurise him to change his political loyalties for the PML-N.

In Gujranwala, Mr Jutt and Mr Virk had won NA-78 (Gujranwala) and 79 (Kamoke) respectively by defeating the PML-N nominees.

The officials of Gujranwala Municipal Corporation sealed the factory and scrap godown of Mobeen Jutt whereas the rice mills of Ehsanullah Virk was also sealed by the Gujranwala administration.

Mr Jutt, who had defeated the PML-N stalwart and former federal minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, had been ‘missing’ for the last few days.

However, family and PTI sources said the authorities had taken the measure as a pressure tactic to get the political loyalty of both the MNAs-elect, shifted.

The cell phone numbers of Mobeen are switched off.

There are also some rumours in Gujranwala about Mr Jutt’s meeting with PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal as local sources said that the family of Mr Jutt had migrated to Gujranwala city from Narowal, the home town of Mr Iqbal.

It is learnt that Mr Jutt’s social media team had posted a statement on his Facebook page that he firmly stood with the PTI.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2024