The Islamabad police have established a five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate a terrorism case filed against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and supporters at the Sangjani police station.
This case stems from the public gathering held on September 8, which has intensified the crackdown on the former ruling party.
Following the gathering, several PTI leaders, including the party’s chief Gohar Ali Khan, were detained, though Khan was released the next day.
Controversially, plainclothes officers reportedly breached the Parliament House to arrest PTI members seeking refuge inside.
In response, the National Assembly Secretariat directed the interior ministry to investigate the arrests of MNAs from within Parliament, highlighting concerns over the violation of parliamentary rules and sanctity.
The terrorism case under investigation by the SIT includes violations of the newly enacted ‘Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024,’ along with various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The FIR names several individuals, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Amir Mughal, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Khalid Khurshid, Sher Afzal Marwat, Zartaj Gul, Faisal Chaudhry, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Omar Ayub, Naeem Haider Panjutha, Alamgir, Zain Qureshi, Hamid Raza, and PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, among others.
The FIR accuses the PTI leaders of holding magistrates and police officials hostage, assaulting them, and threatening them at gunpoint. The document alleges that state officials had arrived on stage to inform the PTI organizers that the permitted time for the gathering had expired, and its continuation was in breach of the NOC and the new regulations governing public gatherings in the federal capital.
The SIT comprises SSP Investigation Arsalan Shahzaib, who also serves as SSP Operations, SP Sadar Khan Zaib, who led the operation resulting in the MNAs’ arrests, and other key members including the Organised Crimes Unit SP, the Sangjani SHO, and the case’s investigating officer.
The SIT is tasked with investigating the case and apprehending the suspects named in the FIR, with the team’s leader required to submit an update every two days to the Islamabad police chief.
Additionally, two more cases against PTI leadership have emerged. The first, registered on September 8 at the Sangjani police station, invokes Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and various PPC sections.
The FIR names Amir Dogar, Owais, Syed Shah Ahmed, Naseem Ali Shah, and Yousaf Khan, along with 60 unidentified individuals, accusing them of assaulting police personnel and firing at them.
The second case, registered on September 10 at the Ramna police station, includes charges under sections 341, 147, 149, 353, 186, 109, and 506(ii) against 25 people.
The FIR alleges that PTI supporters armed with batons and stones blocked a road in Sector G-11 while police were presenting Sheikh Waqas Akram, Sher Afzal Marwat, and others in court.
Separately, the National Assembly Secretariat has asked Interior Secretary Retired Capt Mohammad Khurram Agha to investigate the alleged breach of parliamentary rules, where lawmakers were reportedly arrested on the night of September 9-10.
The letter, written by the NA Secretary General’s office, expresses grave concern over this violation and demands a detailed report within seven days. It also suggests that if laxity is found, appropriate disciplinary action should be taken against those responsible.
Sources within the police indicate that while senior officials, including the SSP Operations, oversaw the operation, junior officials like DSPs and SHOs might be scapegoated for the unprecedented actions. They note that the police did not notify the speaker about the operation or the arrests within Parliament.
