Institutions that 'surrounded' IG Sindh's house answer to PM Imran Khan: PML-N's Abbasi

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday said that personnel of the two institutions that had "surrounded" Inspector General of Police (IG) Sindh Mushtaq Mahar's house both fall under federal control and so Prime Minister Imran Khan is "responsible" for the episode leading to PML-N leader retired Capt Safdar Awan's arrest.

The PML-N leader, addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Ahsan Iqbal, said: “Someone issued instructions to both institutions. The instructions could only have been given by the country’s prime minister.”

Reiterating the party’s stance that the IG Sindh was “pressurised” into filing a case against Capt Safdar, Abbasi said that the federation “attacked” the province.

Capt Safdar had been taken into custody by police in the early hours of Monday after a case was registered against him for allegedly violating the sanctity of the Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum by raising political slogans.

Following the arrest, PML-N representatives had claimed that the police had been put under pressure to pick Capt Safdar up, with Bilawal in a press conference alleging that IG Mahar’s office had been surrounded at 2am the night of the arrest and that he was taken away at 4 in the morning.

Watch: CCTV footage of Captain Safdar's arrest

Speaking of the prime minister’s vision to establish a state modelled after the state of Madina, he said: “The government itself violated the sanctity of someone’s chaadar and chaar deewari (privacy).”

“They broke down the door of Maryam Nawaz’s room.”

“Matters are very grave. The Constitution was violated, the province’s constitutional authority was challenged,” Abbasi said.

The arrest of Capt Safdar raises many questions, the answers to which are slowly coming to light, said the PML-N stalwart.

“IG Sindh was kidnapped from 2 to 4 in the morning and taken to a local office to register an FIR. This is no trivial matter, it is a worrying thing.”

The prime minister should have taken note of the matter and assured us an investigation, he said.

He questioned, again today (after having asked the same a day earlier), why the prime minister had not contacted Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

He said the chief minister and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held press conferences but no contact was made by the prime minister.

“Bilawal, therefore, requested the army chief [to order a probe into the incident],” Abbasi said.

Abbasi said he hopes the court will take note of the matter.

“The prime minister will have to answer for why the state’s institutions were used. The Sindh governor’s sacrifice will not work. What does he have to do with it?” he added.

“When the prime minister of the country does nothing to alleviate the suffering of the people and to uplift the country's economy, how can such a country [survive]?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Ahsan Iqbal, addressing the media, said: “Pakistan's biggest problem is inflation, second biggest problem is inflation, and third biggest problem is inflation.”

He said that the biggest problem for “Imran Niazi”, however, is to file cases against PML-N.

Iqbal said that the Opposition’s protests will continue till the “true face” behind Prime Minister Imran Khan is exposed and the premier is “brought to justice”.