PTI’s Omar Ayub: Laws Used to Undermine Party

Islamabad Police arrested PTI’s Information Secretary, Raoof Hasan, from the party’s Central Secretariat. Hasan is accused of operating a digital media cell involved in disseminating propaganda against Pakistan. According to the police, “The PTI’s digital media cell has become a centre for [spreading] international disinformation, from where anti-Pakistan propaganda is disseminated globally.”

Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), highlighted the issue of “digital terrorism” in a press conference in Rawalpindi. “It is time for the nation to stand up against militants and digital terrorists. The army is standing up against terrorists and digital terrorists,” Chaudhry stated, urging nationwide solidarity against these threats.

Condemning Hasan’s arrest, PTI’s chairman declared that the party would fight for his release. He criticized the police for seizing all records from the PTI’s main office and expressed confidence that the court would free Hasan, as no charges had been formally presented. “We haven’t been briefed about the FIR (first information report) so far,” he said.

Ayub accused the government of using the recent Supreme Court ruling on reserved seats as a pretext to target PTI lawmakers. He mentioned that several PTI members had been detained since the court’s decision. “Today’s police raid was meant to snatch the affidavits of the PTI’s MNAs and MPAs,” Ayub asserted, describing the arrest of Hasan as an act of desperation.

The PTI’s central secretariat was sealed before noon on Monday, and the police confiscated affidavits from PTI’s MNAs and MPAs, confirming their affiliation with the party. Gohar Ali Khan criticized the government for failing to brief parliament on the Azm-e-Istehkam operation against terrorism, as previously promised.

The arrest of Raoof Hasan and the subsequent sealing of the PTI secretariat mark a significant escalation in the tensions between PTI and the government. As the situation develops, both sides remain entrenched in their positions, with PTI vowing to fight what it perceives as unjust actions against its members.