PESHAWAR: Two former provincial ministers were reportedly arrested and several others managed to escape as police launched a fresh crackdown on the leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.

PTI workers and family members claimed that police arrested former minister for higher education Kamran Bangash while raids were conducted on the houses of former ministers and lawmakers in Peshawar.

In Bajaur tribal district, police arrested former provincial minister and PTI provincial vice president Anwarzeb Khan in Civil Colony for arranging a public gathering on Thursday in connection with the release of party’s former MNA Gul Zafar Khan in Mamond tehsil in violation of Section 144.

Police had registered FIR against 15 PTI leaders and workers including Anwarzeb Khan for arranging the public gathering.

Police keep mum over its new campaign

In a statement posted on X formerly Twitter, former provincial finance minister and PTI leader Taimur Jhagra said that police arrested former minister Kamran Bangash. He said that police also raided the houses of former MNA Arbab Sher Ali, former MPA Fazl Elahi and PTI Peshawar chapter leader Irfan Saleem.

The raids were apparently conducted after Supreme Court on Thursday suspended an order of Peshawar High Court (PHC) that had granted ‘blanket bail’ to some of the PTI leaders in different cases.

Drawing attention of Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan, Taimur Jhagra said: “Today, your force, on video, arrested Kamran Bangash at 2pm and have not produced him in Chamkani police station. Similar raids were also made on his house.”

Mr Jhagra said that just days ago, the provincial government had given an undertaking that it would not take any illegal action. “The government has also surpassed the new line of entering houses in KP. “Well done for starting this new tradition,” he added.

He said that Kamran must be produced in a police station immediately. He said that they urged the chief justice of Peshawar High Court to take notice as to how those people working on a state salary were using state power to break the law.

“We trusted, and trust the Peshawar High Court in giving us justice. We kept on saying, we have nothing to hide, and want to prove our innocence. It is the law that is hiding,” he said.

“To the PHC chief justice, if we are in the wrong, feel free to hang us. But if the government is violating the law with impunity, then sir, please ensure that justice is done. Those ruling this province cannot escape accountability for their actions,” he said.

Earlier in the day, police arrested Mr Bangash in a raid carried out in Chamkani area on outskirts of the provincial capital.

Former PTI lawmaker Kamran Bangash can be seen being arrested by a police team, led by DSP Zahid Alam, in a video. Police, however, did not share their version about the incident.

“Signals are week and I think the signal jammers are active,” DSP Alam told Dawn by telephone when asked about the arrest of the former minister. Later, he could not be reached for an official version despite repeated attempts.

Police sources, however, said that Mr Bangash was arrested in a fresh case registered against him since he had obtained bail in the previous cases for his alleged involvement in May 9 riots.

In a video message, Mr Bangash’s brother Afnan Bangash alleged that a team, with mostly police from Chamkani police station, picked up his brother. “Any statement, which comes from Kamran Bangash, would be illegal and would be recorded at gunpoint,” he said in the video.

PTI youth wing central president Mina Khan Afridi also claimed that police arrested Kamran Bangash.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2023