Pakistan arrests opposition lawmakers, leaders day after massive rally

ISLAMABAD

Pakistani police late Monday evening arrested several opposition lawmakers from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan on the premises of parliament, the party said.

The arrests of opposition lawmakers came a day after the PTI held a massive public rally in Islamabad's outskirts to demand Khan's release and the "return of seats won" by the party in the Feb. 8 general elections, which it claimed were rigged, accusing the country's electoral authority of manipulating results.

On Monday evening, Islamabad police spokesman Jawad Taqi told reporters that Barrister Gohar Khan, the PTI's current chairman since Khan is in jail, and several other lawmakers were arrested near the parliament's main entrance.

The PTI later issued a statement saying some of its lawmakers, including Zain Qureshi, and Sheikh Waqas Akram, were arrested on the parliament premises.

Local broadcasters aired footage showing policemen pushing Sher Afzal Marwat, a flamboyant PTI lawmaker, toward a security vehicle as soon as he exited parliament.

Opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan in a separate statement claimed that some masked men entered the parliament building to arrest lawmakers of his party.

"4 Vigo dallas (vehicles) with masked men have entered the precincts of the National Assembly to arrest PTI MNAs (members of National Assembly). Electricity has just been shut off in the National Assembly building. This is totally against all laws and rules of the National Assembly," he stated on X.

The police have filed several cases against PTI leaders and activists for clashing with police, inciting violence, and breaking the law during the Sunday rally in the capital.

The PTI claimed that the government had "launched a midnight raid on parliament, ruthlessly targeting" its members.

"This cowardly act, executed in the dead of night, flagrantly violates parliamentary rules and democratic principles... Their brazen attack not only desecrates the sanctity of the Parliament but reveals their deep-seated contempt for the rule of law and their readiness to undermine democracy through sheer brutality," the party said on X.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned some PTI leaders' hard-hitting speeches at the rally.

Speaking to ruling alliance lawmakers in Islamabad on Monday, he said the PTI leaders made "disgusting" speeches at Sunday's rally, which is "condemnable," according to a statement issued by his office.

Khan, 72, is currently detained at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, a garrison city in northeastern Pakistan, and is seeking bail in a variety of cases ranging from corruption to terrorism.