PTI UK leaders rush out of Saudi Arabia after hooliganism at Masjid-e-Nabawi

• PTI UK leaders were supposed to return to Manchester on Saturday but rushed out as news emerged of their involvement in harassment incident.
• Sahibzada Jahangir, Aneel Musarrat, Rana Abdul Sattar were in Madinah when Maryam Aurangzeb, Shahzain Bugti were abused.
• UK based journalist says Sahibzada Jahangir, Aneel Musarrat, Rana Abdul Sattar left soon after Sehri.

LONDON: PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s close friends Sahibzada Jahangir, Aneel Musarrat and PTI UK President Rana Abdul Sattar left Saudi Arabia in rush to avoid questioning by the country’s authorities after hooliganism at the Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH) in Madinah.

Jahangir, who is currently Imran Khan’s advisor for the overseas Pakistanis, PTI donor Aneel Musarrat and his brother-in-law and PTI UK President Rana Abdul Sattar were supposed to return to Manchester from Saudi Arabia on Saturday. But they rushed out of the the country as news started circulating about their alleged involvement in the harassment incident.

Jahangir was present with the alleged PTI supporters who abused and insulted Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb and Minister for Narcotics Control Shahzain Bugti.

A Pakistani journalist from the UK, who was with the PTI leaders, said that Jahangir and others arrived in Madinah from Manchester in a group.

“They were due to leave on Saturday but they rushed out as soon as people started calling on the Saudi authorities to arrest Sahibzada Jahangir and Aneel Musarrat for organising the protest. Out of seven people, only three left in hurry but the remaining are present in Madinah,” said the journalist.

The journalist, who requested anonymity, said that the hooliganism incident took place around Iftari time on Thursday. He added that Jahangir, Sattar and Musarrat left soon after Sehri.

“They were advised to leave at the earliest opportunity because people on social media were tagging the Saudi authorities to arrest and question them. Social media was abuzz with pictures and videos of Sahibzada Jahangir and Aneel Musarrat and they got scared at the reaction,” he added.

The remaining members of the group Nabeel Mussarat, solicitor Amar Alyas and Gohar Jilani are still in Saudi Arabia, he said.

Jahangir denied organising the protest but did not deny raising slogans and appreciating the protestors. However, he claimed that he bought tickets with the others two weeks ago when Shehbaz Sharif’s visit was not even planned.

Sheikh Rasheed, who had warned that the Pakistani delegation will be attacked, stays at Musarrat’s house whenever he is in the UK.

Musarrat is considered the biggest PTI donor in the UK and his brother in law Rana Abdul Sattar is PTI UK’s president. Jahangir was appointed Imran Khan’s Focal Person for the United Kingdom and Europe on 19 April 2022.

A tragic incident had taken place in Masjid-i-Nabawi (PBUH) on Thursday night and Jahangir was among the sloganeers and he can also be seen in the videos.

After the incident, Jahangir posted a video message on Twitter stating that “while we were in Madina there was a sudden noise and he and Anil Mussarat did not do anything for this. We were not arrested nor questioned by the police”.

At least five Pakistani nationals were arrested for “abusing and insulting” Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and Minister for Narcotics Control Shahzain Bugti at the Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH) in Madinah, confirmed the Saudi publication Saudi Gazette.

Videos from the premier and his entourage's visit to Islam's second holiest site showed members of the delegation being whisked away by local law enforcement as slogans of "chor" (thieves) echoed in the Prophet's (PBUH) mosque.

In several videos, shared widely on social media, people can be seen attacking Jamhoori Watan Party's Shahzain Bugti, who was among those that abandoned the PTI-led government alliance to join the former opposition before the no-confidence vote, resulting in Imran Khan's ouster.

In the video, pilgrims can be seen attacking Bugti, and grabbing his hair from behind.

Government spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb also came under attack during the visit which she blamed on Imran Khan without naming him.

"I will not name this person on this holy land because I do not want to use this land for politics," she said in a video message put up on PML-N's official Twitter account.