Ali Muhammad, Shehryar Afridi re-arrested soon after release from Adiala jail

ISLAMABAD: Amid the ongoing crackdown against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in connection with the May 9 attacks on the civil and military installations, the party’s leaders Shehryar Afridi and Ali Muhammad Khan were arrested shortly after being released from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Tuesday, Geo News reported. Similarly, non-bailable arrest warrants for Senator Azam Swati were also issued by an Islamabad court.

Afridi, along with his wife, was picked up on May 16 from his residence in Islamabad under Section 3 of Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance 1960, which enables the government to arrest persons “acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety”. His wife, however, was released later on the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Soon after his release from jail, police officials again took him into custody and transported him to an undisclosed location. According to the jail administration, Afridi was released on completion of his “house arrest” period under the MPO. The Rawalpindi deputy commissioner has extended Afridi’s house arrest under MPO for another 15 days.

Similarly, Ali Muhammad, who was arrested from Islamabad on May 21 by Islamabad police under Section 3 of MPO and released on orders of Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench, was rearrested. The PTI leader was again taken into custody from outside the Adiala Jail under Section 3 of MPO by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, the Islamabad police said in a statement.

The duo was apprehended after violent protests, triggered by the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan from the IHC in the Al-Qadir Trust case, erupted across the country.

During the days-long protests, which ended only after Khan’s release, enraged PTI workers attacked private and public properties, including military installations — the Lahore Corps Commander’s House or Jinnah House and the General Headquarters (GHQ) entrance.

Meanwhile, an Islamabad court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for PTI leader Senator Azam Swati in the case of a controversial tweet.

Special Judge Central Azam Khan issued the warrant on the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) request over Swati’s failure to appear before the court. During the hearing of the case earlier Tuesday, the court also postponed Swati’s indictment due to his absence. FIA prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi asked the court to issue non-bailable arrest warrants for him as he did not show up in court. “We acted on the warrant issued earlier. However, Azam Swati was not at his residence when the officials arrived there,” the investigating officer said.

When asked, Swati’s lawyer expressed ignorance about his whereabouts and said he could not contact his client. The judge, adjourning the hearing briefly, summoned the officer who was sent to Swati’s home.