Interior ministry, police refuse to substantiate claims of 100 Afghans arrested after PTI protest

• Islamabad police say interior ministry should be approached.
• No documentation, proof provided despite numerous attempts.
• FO spokesperson says she had no information on the matter.

Ministry of Interior and Islamabad police officials have declined to provide evidence to support a claim by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi that more than 100 Afghan nationals were arrested following a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad last month.

At a press conference on October 5, Naqvi, alongside Islamabad's Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Nasir Rizvi, alleged that Afghan nationals were among those detained after former prime minister Imran Khan's PTI held a protest in the capital on October 4.

"Last night in our clashes [with PTI], 41 Afghan nationals were arrested," Naqvi said. "In the last 48 hours, a total of 120 Afghans have been caught. This is alarming. It is one thing when your own nationals are protesting."

The following day, Naqvi repeated the claim in another media briefing.

From October 7 to November 4, Geo Fact Check has sought evidence from senior officials in the Ministry of Interior and Islamabad police to substantiate the minister's statement. Despite numerous attempts, no documentation or proof has been provided as of November 4.

On October 7, Geo Fact Check contacted Qadir Yar Tiwana, Director General of Media at the Ministry of Interior, for clarification. Tiwana redirected the query to the police.

But on the same day, a spokesperson for Islamabad police, Taqi Jawad, suggested the interior ministry should be approached instead.

After repeated inquiries, Jawad assured Geo Fact Check that data would be shared once the 120 purportedly arrested Afghan nationals were presented in court.

"Government officials make statements based on some basis of course. We are not political people that we make baseless claims," he insisted.

However, follow-ups on October 8, 9, 11, and 21 went unanswered. When contacted again on October 31, Jawad claimed that only the interior ministry could release the data and then even suggested reaching out to the Foreign Office.

Geo Fact Check again approached Tiwana at the Ministry of Interior, but he did not respond. While FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said she had no information on the matter.

No response was forthcoming from the senior Islamabad police officials, including Muhammad Arslan Shahzeb, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations, and Ali Raza, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Operations.