• Tweeting from comforts of sub-jail, ex-federal minister rejects rumours about switching oyalties
• Sindh govt claims special treatment given to PTI leader on his request

KARACHI: While more than 200 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers and supporters, including women and legislators, have been taken into custody of law-enforcement agencies in Karachi since protests broke out last week in country after PTI chairman Imran Khan’s arrest, the ‘soft and special treatment’ being given to former federal minister and PTI Sindh chapter president Ali Zaidi by the PPP-led Sindh government has raised many eyebrows.

The surprisingly courteous treatment given to him raised several questions and triggered a debate on social media platforms while attracting ‘different’ opinions from within the party.

A home department notification has declared DHA Phase VI residence of Mr Zaidi, which is in fact his mother’s house, a sub-jail, where he was brought by police late on Monday night.

The PTI leader was even allowed to make appearance before the media, address a brief press conference and reply to queries of journalists before entering the home. It didn’t end here. Mr Zaidi, in his ‘sub-jail’, has access to social media as well.

On Tuesday evening, he even attempted to clarify his position and respond to the criticism that was being levelled at him since Monday night over the ‘special treatment’ he was receiving from the rival PPP government.

“As you all know that I’ve been taken out of prison but under black law MPO will be under house arrest for 30 days,” he said in a tweet.

“My mother’s house has now been declared a sub jail. Now sadly, fake rumours are being circulated of me leaving PTI. Also, I’m sad to see some I consider as friends fall into a trap and a few even become party to conspiracy theories based on lies and deceit. One or two even chose to block me out of their lives. I wish them all the best and pray that Allah guides them on the path of His chosen Ones.”

Mr Zaidi’s tweet has come after rumours about his ‘decision to quit the party’ took the social media by storm, questioning the treatment of the Sindh government with the leader of the rival party, which otherwise is facing ‘state brutalities’ and workers of the party in Karachi and other parts of the country face charges as serious as ‘treason’.

While denying the ‘rumours’ about switching his political allegiance, in his tweet he countered the “allegations of receiving special treatment” from the Sindh government.

There are many social media accounts, including pro-PTI accounts, which are raising questions about the ‘soft’ treatment.

The Sindh government, on the other hand, justifies the move of giving Mr Zaidi ‘some relief’, citing his political status, his health issues and the former federal minister’s own request for such facilities.

“The PPP government never wants to keep an elected member or a legislator under custody and even if it becomes crucial, it always goes for a defined constitutional way that requires production order and other formalities,” Sindh government spokesman and Chief Minister’s Law Adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab told Dawn.

“Ali Zaidi Sahab is a former federal minister. He is a senior leader of a political party and then he has cited some health issues which he’s facing which require such a space [sub-jail].”

When asked about another PTI legislator Firdous Shamim Naqvi, who is almost 70 years old MPA and currently battling against a chronic disease for more than a year but has failed to receive any such ‘special treatment’ from the PPP government, Barrister Wahab said, “He might not have requested for such a facility”.

Only on Monday, the administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts remanded Naqvi in police custody in two May 9 violence cases.

MPA Naqvi along with other workers has been booked for allegedly staging violent protests on Sharea Faisal, blocking the thoroughfare, resorting to rioting and causing damage to government and private property following arrest of Imran Khan in Islamabad.

Another PTI MPA Khurrum Sher Zaman’s restaurant in the Saddar area of Karachi has been sealed by the Sindh Food Authority “due to poor sanitation and substandard food”. Mr Zaman said in a statement that his restaurant was sealed in revenge by the Sindh government.

Amid speculations and doubts, the PTI itself couldn’t keep itself away from the debate.

The PTI Karachi chapter general secretary, Arsalan Taj Ghumman, in a brief telephonic conversation with Dawn admitted that the situation was not clear. “Different people have different opinions on this subject. I can’t say much about it.”

He claimed that more than 200 PTI workers were under custody since the party came under the crackdown following the arrest of its chairman on May 9.

He expressed worries about party workers who had been released after getting bail from courts, but arrested again under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law.

“But no [MPO] document was shown to the party, their [arrested workers] families and their lawyers. Even our women workers are under police custody. Around 10 women workers of the PTI are facing this for past many days,” added Mr Taj.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2023