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ISLAMABAD: Lawyers, journalists and rights activists have condemned the crackdown on the residences of PTI leaders, saying the government should refrain from taking “illegal” steps and allow everyone to profess their fundamental rights
A video of Justice (retd) Nasira Javed Iqbal, mother of PTI leader Walid Iqbal, surfaced on social media, in which she shared the harassment her staffers had to put up with at the hands of police.
During a session of the National Assembly, Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif condemned the police raid at the residence of Justice (Retd) Nasira Javed Iqbal, the daughter-in-law of national poet Allama Iqbal, in search of her son Senator Walid Iqbal.
Responding to a point of order, the minister said he personally apologized to the family of Allama Iqbal for excesses, if any, committed by the police.
Khawaja Asif alleged that the PTI’s men had martyred an unarmed police constable. The politics of violence was equally condemnable. The nascent politicians had polluted the country’s political environment, he added.
He added the arrests of political workers could be justified to stop violent protests. He urged the participants of PTI’s long march to remain peaceful and avoid attacking state institutions. He said those who would challenge the writ of state would not be spared.
Justice (R) Nasira Iqbal, mother of Senator Walid Iqbal & daughter in law of Allama Iqbal shares the harassment & intimidation her family was put through when LEAs raided her house for Senator’s arrest without warrants. Imagine what ordinary Pakistanis go through at hands of LEAs pic.twitter.com/x8iYZI4HaW
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) May 24, 2022
SBCA condemns arrests
SCBA President Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon and Secretary Waseem Mumtaz Malik stated that the government must not hinder the activities of any political party or stop them from exercising their fundamental right to protest.
They added that the raids being conducted at the residence of any political worker or citizen were totally unwarranted, against the law and the Constitution.
They particularly condemned the raids on the residences of lawyers followed by their arrests. They also noted that Babar Awan and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry have been prevented from performing their professional obligations.
PPP leader Nafisa Shah also condemned the police action against the PTI workers. She differed from the “anti-democratic approach” of the government to deal with the PTI protest.
