Ten PTI MNAs, arrested in a late-night raid earlier this week, were presented in the National Assembly on Thursday after production orders were issued. The arrest occurred around 3am on Tuesday when plainclothes officers, who disconnected the power supply, entered the Parliament House’s Services Branch to detain the legislators.
In response to the incident, Sadiq, the speaker, suspended five security staff members for four months and transferred five officials from the Capital Development Authority who were responsible for disconnecting the power. A four-member committee led by Additional Secretary Iftikhar Ahmad has been formed to investigate the security arrangements and unauthorized movements in Parliament.
The arrested MNAs include Sher Afzal Marwat (NA-41), Malik Amir Dogar (NA-49), Ahmed Chattha (NA-66), Zain Qureshi (NA-50), Sheikh Waqas Akram (NA-109), Zubair Khan Wazir (NA-42), Awais Haider Jakhar (NA-182), Syed Shah Ahad Ali Shah (NA-33), Nasim Ali Shah (NA-39), and Yousuf Khan Khattak (NA-36). They were brought to the National Assembly amid tight security.
Videos shared on social media show MNA Ali Muhammad Khan welcoming his party colleagues. The detained lawmakers received a warm reception, with chants of “Imran Khan” heard as they arrived.
In a separate development, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has placed the 10 PTI MNAs on judicial remand after suspending the anti-terrorism court’s (ATC) decision for their physical custody. The IHC’s Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz will resume hearings on the petitions filed by the detained lawmakers’ lawyers.
The late-night raid on Monday, which followed a PTI power show in Sangjani, involved the arrest of Sher Afzal Marwat, Zubair Khan Wazir, and others. Sources reported that a well-equipped police contingent, led by Senior Superintendent of Police Operations Arsalan Jahanzeb, had been stationed outside Parliament House before the arrest. The MNAs were taken from the building and subsequently moved to the Central Investigation Agency Centre.
