Karachi police arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Arslan Taj raiding his residence in the wee hours of Sunday.
Police entered the house of Taj, who is the general secretary for Karachi chapter of the party, and ransacked it, a PTI spokesperson said.
The CCTV footage of the outside of Arsalan Taj’s house shows a police party escorting Arsalan out after the arrest.
Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan demanded the immediate release of Arsalan Taj, who is also a member of the Sindh Assembly.
PTI approached the court regarding the arrest of the MPA with lawyers submitting an application to East Magistrate.
Lawyers said that legal requirements for Arsalan Taj’s arrest had not been fulfilled. The law required the speaker’s permission before arrest, the application said.
Following the arrest, PTI leaders Imran Ismail and Aftab Siddiqui wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput.
The letter stated that the arrest of Arsalan Taj is unconstitutional and he has been “abducted” by the police.
It went on to say that by detaining the PTI Karachi leader the police had violated numerous fundamental rights, rules, and sections of the constitution.
The letter demanded “stern action” against the Sindh police, “particularly those involved in the kidnapping of MPA Arsalan Taj,” as well as his immediate release.
According to the letter, the MPA’s house was raided without a search warrant from the magistrate. The constitution states that he cannot be detained without the permission of the magistrate. The law also requires female officers to be present during a house raid.
“They kicked the door and took Arslan by the neck,” the MPA’s mother said while speaking to the media soon after the arrest.
She added that the police raided the house without a warrant and did not bring any female police officers with them. “The police ransacked our house. We have no idea where Arslan has been taken.”’
PTI members Imran Ismail, Firdous Shamim, and Aftab Siddiqui spoke to the media outside Arsalan Taj’s residence.
Former Member of Sindh’s Provincial Assembly Firdous Shamim said that he’s been to three police stations and Arsalan is nowhere to be found.
“Gulishtan-e-Johar police station has refused to register a case regarding Arsalan’s unlawful arrest .”
President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Sindh, Ali Zaidi, strongly condemned the arrest of Arslan Taj and questioned where the MPA was taken and what he had done to be punished in this way, adding that his family is stricken with fear.
Khurram Sher Zaman also condemned the arrest.
