ISLAMABAD: The Anti-Terrorists squad on Wednesday arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Asad Umar from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises.
The police arrested Asad Umar after he came out of the courtroom after filing an application in the IHC seeking directives for the release of party chairman Imran Khan. The police took Asad Umar into custody and shifted him to some unknown place.
However, it is not yet clear that in which case, Asad Umar has been arrested. Other PTI leaders including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Malaika Bokhari and others were also present there on the premises of the IHC from where Asad Umar was arrested.
The development took place a day after party chairman Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the same court. Party’s senior leader Babar Awan tried to call Asad Umar to be careful as he had realized that they could be arrested, and meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Asad Umar.
The squad told Asad Umar that he was under arrest. The PTI leaders who were coming out of the courtroom returned back to the court premises.
The sources said that the PTI leaders including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhary, Malaika Bokhari returned to Islamabad High Court Bar Association and stayed at the room of IHCBA President. After Asad Umar’s arrest, they said, the PTI leaders feared of the arrests and they sat together to chalk out the plan as how they could escape the arrests. Shah Mahmood Qureshi had also said that he could be arrested and he made it clear that the flag of the party would pass on to someone else.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment arrested former Governor and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Omar Sarfraz Cheema from his residence for his alleged involvement in forgery in his sister’s inheritance registration certificate.
The government authorities arrested Cheema from his residence at 4:30 am in the morning.
The ACE officials alleged that Cheema, as a former governor, misused his authority and got his sister’s name included in the inheritance registration certificate through forgery. They also alleged that Cheema’s sister, Fatima Sarfraz Cheema, had divorced her husband, Dr. Zahir Safdar, in 2013, and the divorce documents were filed in the Union Council Walton.
However, after the death of Dr. Zahir Safdar last year, Cheema allegedly added his divorced sister’s name to the inheritance certificate through forgery. It was after taking the oath as governor that Cheema reportedly got the inheritance registration of his former sister-in-law fraudulently done.
The Anti-Corruption Punjab had earlier issued a notice to Cheema and his wife on March 25 this year, asking them to appear before the authorities for questioning.
Additional Director General of Anti-Corruption Punjab, Waqas-ul-Hassan, stated that Cheema had been handed over to the Punjab Police after his arrest. He further added that a case against Cheema under Section 7 of the Anti-Corruption Act had already been filed, and further action would be taken after further investigation.
