PTI leader Shehryar Afridi arrested

As the government tightens its grip on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership, police arrested senior leader Shehryar Afridi in the early hours of Tuesday.

The arrest of the PTI politician is part of the authorities’ ongoing crackdown on the party, which intensified after the party’s Chairman Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises in the Al-Qadir Trust case on May 9.

According to sources, the former PTI minister was apprehended in Islamabad’s Sector F-8 under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

Meanwhile, in Punjab, former provincial minister Fayyaz-ul-Hasan Chohan was apprehended by police in Rawalpindi’s Murree Road, Liaquat Bagh.

To prevent him from reaching the Rawalpindi Press Club, a large contingent was deployed. According to police, a case was filed against Chohan on May 9 in Sadiqabad police station, accusing him of arson and inciting workers during protests.

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Chohan is also accused of torching and vandalising the Sixth Road metro station. However, the Anti-Terrorism Court granted the PTI politician pre-arrest bail until May 18.

According to the News, police raided Chohan’s house last night but were unable to apprehend him.

Both Afridi and Chohan join a list of PTI leaders who have been detained, including Asad Umar, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhary, Ejaz Chaudhary, Ali Mohammad Khan, Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, and Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, after violence erupted following Khan’s arrest, which was later declared “illegal” by the Supreme Court.

While the PTI chief was released two days after being detained, a crackdown on his party’s politicians continues, with relevant authorities slowing down their actions.

Dr Shireen Mazari, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Maleeka Bukhari, and other female party leaders were apprehended during this arrest spree.

In Sindh, the provincial government declared former PTI minister Ali Zaidi’s house to be a sub-jail.

On Monday night, a notification was issued in this regard. Zaidi was also apprehended by law enforcement on May 9 following mayhem in Karchi’s Baloch Colony area.

His family later petitioned the Sindh High Court to challenge his detention. The Sindh government decided to declare Zaidi’s house a sub-jail on Monday during a meeting to review the state of law and order.