Plainclothes Officers Arrest PTI Ally Sheikh Rashid at His Home Attorney
Sheikh Rashid Arrested from Home: Lawyer Confirms
RAWALPINDI: Awami Muslim League (AML) leader and PTI ally Sheikh Rashid had arrested from his residence in Rawalpindi on Sunday evening, his lawyer Sardar Abdul Razzak Khan confirmed to the media.
Arrest by Plainclothes Officers
He stated that men in civilian attire took the veteran politician Sheikh Rashid into custody from his residence, claiming that the former interior minister had taken to an undisclosed location. The lawyer also claimed Sh Rashid’s nephew Sheikh Shakir and houseworker Sheikh Imran had also arrested.
Concurrent Rearrest of PTI President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Sh Rashid’s arrest coincided with the rearrest of PTI President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Sunday for the thirteenth time immediately after a Lahore Anti-Corruption Court discharged him from a graft case pertaining to the Lahore Master Plan 2050, his lawyer Rana Intezar Hussain said. He said, “They (officials) said he had arrested in a terrorism case and had taken to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.”
Crackdown on PTI Leadership Continues
Pervaiz Elahi is among several PTI leaders and workers who have arrested amid the state’s crackdown on the PTI leadership following the violent riots in the country after Imran’s first arrest on May 9.
Nephew’s Plea and PTI Condemnation
In a video message, the AML leader’s nephew Sheikh Rashid Shafiq said his uncle has arrested by the Punjab police from Bahria Town Phase III in Rawalpindi, and his current whereabouts were unknown. Shafiq also requested the higher courts to take notice of the arrest and find out where his uncle has taken. In a post on social media platform X, the PTI condemned Rashid’s arrest.
Sheikh Rashid’s Social Media Statement
Earlier in the day, in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Sh Rashid said the poor had pushed into a quagmire as the ordinary man was helpless with only the elite living a life according to their terms and conditions. He raised concerns about taxes imposed on the poor instead of the elite and highlighted the struggles of the middle class.
Challenges Faced by the Common Man
He questioned how an industrial and agricultural revolution would materialize amid the skyrocketing prices of electricity, petrol, and the impending gas tariff increase. Rashid emphasized that survival has the biggest problem faced by the common man, irrespective of the timing of elections.
