FIR registered against PTI members false: Arif Alvi

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Dr Arif Alvi condemned the filing of an FIR against him and other party leaders.

The MNA acknowledged that he was angry but maintained that he did not vandalise the Cantonment Board Clifton’s (CBC) office or attempt to grab a police officer by the neck.

Addressing a presser on Sunday, the MNA claimed the protest was peaceful and that the FIR filed against public representatives was false.

He said that the party had a right to stand for public rights. “VVIPs are being provided free water tankers while there is a shortage of water in Karachi.”

Dr Alvi claimed that an elected PTI representative was first pushed out of the CBC’s office and told to get residence in an area where water supply was not an issue.

The Darakhshan police on Saturday registered an FIR against Dr Alvi and six others who led protest demonstrations at the CBC office over the locality’s persisting water supply issues on Thursday and Friday. 

The FIR has been registered against three CBC elected members, Mohammed Aslam Khaliq, Mohammed Ahmad and Adeeba Hassan, and four PTI leaders, MNA Dr Arif Alvi, lawmakers Samar Ali Khan, Dr Seema Zia and Khurram Sherzaman.

A CBC official formally submitted a complaint against them for “deliberately breaking glass door of the [CBC] office and stormed into the building” when they gathered at the board’s office with residents of the locality on Friday. 

The complaint states: “It is submitted that the office of the Cantonment Board Clifton is a public office and remains open for the general public during the office hours on working days.

Against the decision of the board regarding water bowers service charges a protest under the leadership of PTI was held on April 6 and 7 outside the CBC.

To keep the premises, office building and record safe the main gates and doors were closed from inside to avoid any untoward incident in case the protestors turn violent.”

The official said three elected members of the CBC – Mohammed Aslam Khaliq, Mohammed Ahmad, Adeeba Hassan – along with PTI leaders and protestors entered the CBC office by opening main gate of the office. They forcibly broke glass door of the office building and stormed into the office building, he said. 

“All the above named MNA, MPAs, CBC members and their supporters contemptuously disregarded the rules and official procedures laid down for visiting any government office and led to the creation of a scene which not only created nuisance, but also inconvenience to general public and obstruction in the execution of obligatory performance cum assignments of the Cantonment Board Office.”

He requested the police to register an FIR against them, stating that they instigated the protesters to use force, caused loss to the government properties and installations, and interfered in official duties of the CBC staff, threatened and used abusive language against CBC employees, and misbehaved with the staff and police officers.