GDA’s Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi arrested

SUKKUR: Former federal minister and GDA leader Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi was arrested on Monday after he failed to appear in the court, police said.

A case had been registered against Jatoi for allegedly firing at a polling station during the last general elections. He has been accused of allegedly being part of a conspiracy to kill a citizen Bilawal Zardari.

The police said the suspect was under trial in a murder case, but he had “repeatedly failed to appear in the court”. The officials indicated that non-bailable warrants were issued against Jatoi, which prompted the action. He is scheduled to be presented in a terrorism court on February 27.

Jatoi protested, stating, “I have High Court orders; you cannot arrest me.” However, the police countered, saying they had arrest warrants for him. Condemning the arrest, Jatoi accused the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of authoritarianism, claiming, “This is the monarchy of the PPP.”

The district police had arrested Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi, a former federal minister and leader of the GDA, when he came out from the district and sessions court Naushahroferoze and took him away in his own car.

Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi arrived at the court of district and sessions judge Naushahroferoze to seek bail in the case of instigating his people on attacking the Mohabbat Dero police station.

Lawyer Abdullah Korai had applied for the bail. After hearing the lawyer’s arguments, the court granted bail to Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi against a surety of Rs15,000. After submitting the bond in the court, Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi was leaving the court, when the police at the main gate surrounded him. The Naushahroferoze SHO and DSP had a heated exchange with Jotoi’s lawyer Abdullah Korai who argued that Jatoi sought bail in all the cases, so the police could not arrest him. On the other hand, before his arrest, Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi said that the Sindh High Court had prohibited the police from filing any more cases against him.