Ali Zaidi among nine PTI leaders booked under terrorism charges

Following the violence in the Numaish area a day earlier, Police on Thursday booked under terrorism charges the top provincial leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including the chiefs of the party’s Sindh and Karachi chapters, and its parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly.

Meanwhile, as many as 178 PTI workers and supporters who were arrested in 39 cases over violation of the Section 144 and three leaders who were detained under the maintenance of public order were released on Thursday.

An FIR No 359/22 under the sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 324, 283, 435, 109, 427 and 504 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act was registered at the Soldier Bazaar police station on the complaint of SHO Waqar Azeem.

Police named nine leaders of the PTI — the party’s Sindh chief and former federal minister for maritime affairs Ali Zaidi, Karachi chief Bilal Ghaffar, parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly Khurrum Sher Zaman, Arsalan Taj, Muhammad Ali, Jamal Siddiqui, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Mohsin Ali and Ashraf Ali — in the FIR under the terrorism and attempt-to-murder charges.

The FIR stated that almost 600 to 700 PTI workers gathered at Numaish and blocked the road after the aforesaid leaders provoked its workers to block the road, vandalise government properties and shout anti-state slogans.

“These PTI workers blocked the road, vandalised government properties, set a police prisoner van on fire, and attacked and injured police after these nine PTI leaders provoked them,” SHO Azeem stated in the FIR. He added that three policemen were also injured after they were attacked by PTI workers.

Talking to The News, the SHO said that none of the nine PTI leaders had so far been arrested. PTI spokesperson Saddam Kumbhar confirmed that no arrest had been made in connection with the terrorism FIR. He, however, added that a raid was carried out at the residence of Zaidi. He also confirmed the release of over 100 PTI workers who had been arrested for the violation of the Section 144.