PESHAWAR: Police on Saturday conducted a raid on the residence of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) leader Mufti Kifayatullah in Mansehra.
The police raided his house located in Tangri area of Mansehra and arrested his brother, brother-in-law, and two sons. However, sources revealed that Mufti Kifayatullah was not present and could not be taken into custody. DPO Sadiq Baloch confirmed the arrests and said the Mufti Kifayatullah’d family were unaware of his whereabouts.
Earlier Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that a case will be registered against Mufti Kifayatullah for passing provocative remarks against national institutions. He said action would be taken for speaking against the armed forces in accordance with the constitution and law.
The federal cabinet granted approval on filing treason case under Article 6 of the constitution against Mufti Kifayatullah over his anti-state remarks. Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired the federal cabinet meeting which approved the filing of treason against him.
It may be noted that Mufti Kifayatullah was arrested in October 2019 ahead of an Azadi March in Islamabad led by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman by the Islamabad police for issuing provocative remarks against national institutions.
He was taken into custody from Islamabad’s Sector E-11 under clause 3 of the maintenance of public order (MPO) ordinance, which was later challenged in the Abbottabad high court by his lawyers. He was released from jail on November 1 after the Abbottabad bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) granted him bail.
