Political confrontation in Pakistan has intensified ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) march to Islamabad on September 27. The party has accused authorities of targeting its leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Provincial Minister Fazal Shakoor has reportedly been taken into custody, an incident the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly described as a kidnapping. A separate firing case in Malakand involves another provincial minister, Shakeel Ahmad. The police and the minister have given different versions of the incident.
The developments came as PTI stepped up preparations for the protest seeking the release of party founder and jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. The PTI has said the September 27 protest will go ahead despite arrests and other action against its leaders and workers.
What happened to Fazal Shakoor?
According to reports, he was taken into custody after leaving the MPA Hostel in Peshawar for a meeting at the Chief Minister’s House. He was allegedly taken away by men in plain clothes.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly later described the incident as the kidnapping of a provincial minister. Speaker Babar Saleem Swati said the province has witnessed several such incidents in recent days. He played a video showing Sakoor’s arrest.
Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam said a case has been registered against Shakeel Khan. He said Shakoor has been kidnapped. He also said the son of an MPA and staff members of another provincial minister allegedly been taken away in separate incidents.
The exact circumstances surrounding Shakoor’s detention are still being established. Reports have used both “arrest” and “kidnapping” to describe the incident, with the provincial assembly strongly objecting to the manner in which he was taken.
Firing case involving Shakeel Ahmad
A separate incident involving Communications and Works Minister Shakeel Ahmad was reported in Malakand.
According to the police, a CTD official was injured during a firing incident on the Batkhela bypass. The FIR alleges that Ahmad and others opened fire at CTD personnel. The Anti-Terrorism Act along with other provisions have been invoked against them.
Ahmad has given a different version. He submitted an application seeking registration of a case against unidentified armed men, alleging that he was the target of the incident.
PTI workers gathered in Batkhela after the incident. The developments added to anger among party supporters in the area. The police and the minister have given different versions of what happened.
‘September 27 march will go ahead’
The incidents came as PTI prepared for its planned march to Islamabad. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said on Monday (September 21) that the party would proceed with the September 27 protest “at all costs” and would announce its detailed plan on September 25. He said that PTI workers would mobilise across the country.
He added that the party had used constitutional and democratic avenues to seek access to Imran Khan and was now moving ahead with the march. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party is not planning to “storm” Islamabad and will follow a peaceful and democratic course.
The protest follows the detention of three of Imran Khan’s sisters in Lahore. Aleema Khan was detained on September 20, while Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were also detained under provisions of the preventive detention law . Their lawyers have challenged the detention orders.
The federal government has said it will not allow the protest to disrupt Islamabad. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said preparations are being made to prevent the capital from being shut down during the planned mobilisation.
PTI’s leadership has repeatedly said the march will be peaceful. Acting Chairman Gohar Ali Khan had earlier warned against the use of force and said, “There should be no firing. The time for bullets should end.”
The September 27 march is now the next major point in the confrontation between PTI and the federal authorities. The party is preparing its mobilisation while police action against its leaders and supporters continues in different parts of Pakistan.
Bureau Report
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