Tag: Sindh police

  • PM finds abduction of Sindh IG funny, says can’t stop laughing

    PM finds abduction of Sindh IG funny, says can’t stop laughing

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has termed the kidnapping of Sindh Police IG Mushtaq Mahar by the Sindh Rangers to get Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Capt (r) Safdar arrested a “comedy”.

    Referring to the IG House incident, the PM said: “I believe it is a comedy. When I think about that, I laugh. What is happening? It is unfortunate that all the enemies of Pakistan, including India and Israel, are with them.”

    The PM made these comments in an interview with the ARY News. The PM, who didn’t comment on the much controversial till now, blamed media for creating “hype” over the incident. He said: “Kidnapping [of Sindh police chief] was a non-issue, yet media houses were creating hype.”

    The prime minister was referring to the incident, wherein the army coerced the Sindh IG to issue arrest warrants against Safdar, who was arrested from his hotel room.

    The humiliating treatment meted out to the police chief led to the senior officials asking the government for 60 days leave.

    Subsequently, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman demanded army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to hold an inquiry into the incident. At this, Gen Bajwa ordered the Karachi corps commander to hold “immediate probe” into the incident.

    ARREST OF CAPT SAFDAR:

    Safdar was arrested from his hotel room in the early hours of Monday from his hotel room for raising slogans at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and jumping over the grill surrounding the grave. The Sindh government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had distanced itself from the matter soon after the arrest.

    Afterwards, the Sindh police tweeted that the arrest was lawful, but the tweet was deleted soon after it was put up. But after a few hours, the tweet was updated again, wherein the police said that Safdar was arrested as per law.

  • Video shows two cops breaking into Safdar’s hotel room

    A video footage of the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar has surfaced, which shows two Sindh police officials breaking into the lawmaker’s room.

    The footage acquired by Geo News showed that Safdar was detained by the officials of the Sindh police from his hotel room at 6:45am.

    As per the video, two police vans entered the hotel premises at 6:08am and it took the cops approximately 35 minutes to detain the lawmaker from his room on the 15th floor. In the video, a plainclothed man can be seen taking instruction on phone, while another is busy in making a video of the arrested MNA.

    The video was also tweeted by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who is the spouse of Safdar. She wrote that the video reflected that a ‘state above state’ existed in Pakistan.

    Safdar was arrested from his hotel room in the early hours of Monday from his hotel room for raising slogans at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and jumping over the grill surrounding the grave. The Sindh government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had distanced itself from the matter soon after the arrest.

    Afterwards, the Sindh police tweeted that the arrest was lawful, but the tweet was deleted soon after it was put up. But after a few hours, the tweet was updated again, wherein the police said that Safdar was arrested as per law.

    Amid reports that the Sindh Rangers took IGP Mushtaq Mahar hostage to get Safdar arrested, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) asked army general Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to launch a institutional probe into the incident. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that every police officer in Sindh, from a station house officer to senior police officers, were wondering who had “surrounded IG Sindh Mushtaq Mahar’s office at 2am on Sunday night”, asking Gen Bajwa to take notice.

    Subsequently, the military’s media wing tweeted that Gen Bajwa has ordered a probe into the episode. According to a statement shared by the ISPR, Gen Bajwa directed the Karachi Corps commander to “immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible”

  • VIDEO: India loses it again, claims Sindh govt overthrown by army, civil war in Karachi

    VIDEO: India loses it again, claims Sindh govt overthrown by army, civil war in Karachi

    Amid the controversy surrounding Sindh police following Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (r) Safdar’s arrest in Karachi, India has once again lost it and is claiming that clashes are taking place between the army and provincial police as a civil war erupts in the port city.

    According to a report now retracted by News 18, Karachi is burning with shootouts between civil and military bodies after the army took over the provincial metropolis and the control of all police stations as well as government buildings.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Here’s a screenshot of the tweet that has now been deleted:

    This time, however, it isn’t just Indian media that is making baseless claims that will crack you up…

    READ: After police’s rebellion, army to probe ‘kidnapping’ of Sindh IG

    “10 police officers of Sindh police martyred during their line of duty of saving people of Karachi from atrocities of army [sic],” prominent Indian lawyer Prashant Patel Umrao claimed.

    https://twitter.com/ippatel/status/1318743674105233408

    He went on to say that the United States (US) Navy may enter Karachi port soon, drawing strong reactions from Twitterati, and not just those from Pakistan.

    READ: IG among senior officials of Sindh police seeking leave after Capt (r) Safdar’s arrest controversy

    “Indian disinformation accounts are exploiting Pakistan’s current political crisis and falsely claiming that the country is now experiencing urban warfare and other serious instability,” tweeted the deputy director of the Asia Program and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center, Michael Kugelman.

    “Dangerous and disturbing; several of these accounts are verified, with large followings. Ugh,” he added.

  • After police’s rebellion, army to probe ‘kidnapping’ of Sindh IG

    After police’s rebellion, army to probe ‘kidnapping’ of Sindh IG

    As the controversy surrounding the arrest of Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar rages on, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has ordered a probe into the alleged abduction of Police IG Mushtaq Mahar by the Sindh Rangers.

    According to a statement shared by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Bajwa has directed Karachi Corps commander to “immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible”.

    The probe announcement by the army chief came after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari demanded that Gen Bajwa take notice of the incident.

    Bilawal said that every police officer in Sindh, from a station house officer to senior police officers, were wondering who had “surrounded IG Sindh Mushtaq Mahar’s office at 2am on Sunday night”.

    “Who were the two persons who went inside the IG’s house at 2am and where was our IG taken at 4am in the morning?” he asked.

    SINDH POLICE DEMORALISED:

    The pressure inflicted on the police to arrest Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader has demoralised the provincial police. In a leave application to the government, the IGP along with a dozen officers sought two-month leave over the treatment meted out to their department.

    This move prompted a visit of Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah and PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to the IG House. It seems that the visit was fruitful as the police high-ups decided to postpone their leave plan for 10 days. They said the decision was taken “in the larger national interest” and pending the conclusion of the inquiry into how the arrest of PML-N leader Mohammad Safdar unfolded.

    ARREST OF CAPT SAFDAR:

    Safdar was arrested from his hotel room in the early hours of Monday from his hotel room for raising slogans at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and jumping over the grill surrounding the grave. The Sindh government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had distanced itself from the matter soon after the arrest.

    Afterwards, the Sindh police tweeted that the arrest was lawful, but the tweet was deleted soon after it was put up. But after few hours, the tweet was updated again, wherein the police said that Safdar was arrested as per law.

  • ‘IG was kidnapped’: Hamid Mir takes a dig at Kamran Khan for contesting his claim

    ‘IG was kidnapped’: Hamid Mir takes a dig at Kamran Khan for contesting his claim

    As a leave request to the Sindh government by the high-ups of the provincial police strengthened the claim that the IG was detained by the Sindh Rangers for the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Capt (r) Safdar, senior journalist Hamid Mir took a dig at journalist Kamran Khan for trying to refute his claim about the police chief’s detention on the basis of “irrefutable sources”.

    The tweet by the Geo News anchorperson came on the heels of a news report which revealed that the high ranking officers of the service have sought a 60-day leave. An application signed by AIG Special Branch Imran Yaqoob, a copy of which is available with The Current, said that he submitted the request for leave after the police high command was “ridiculed and mishandled” leading to the demoralisation of all ranks of the Sindh Police.

    In his recent tweet, Mir was referring to a statement made by Kamran Khan wherein he contested his claim about the detention of IG Mushtaq Mahar by the Rangers to force him to sign Safdar’s arrest warrants.

    Following the arrest of Safar, Mir had tweeted: “Unfortunate incident. Sindh Govt informed PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair that IG [insector general] Sindh was kidnapped by Rangers at 4 in the morning he was brought in sector commander’s office where addnl IG was already present and were forced to issue the orders for the arrest of Cpt Rtd Safdar [sic],” Mir claimed in a tweet.

    At this, Kamran Khan, who is an anchorperson at Dunya News, said that the IG was “fully onboard with the arrest”. Maintaining that internal rifts were affecting the affairs of the joint opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Kamran Khan had quoted sources as saying that all claims regarding the IG’s arrest were not true.

    Alluding to the application by the Sindh police officials, Mir asked Khan that what does he have to say about it now. He went on to advise him not to “refute his future reports” on the basis of the so-called “irrefutable sources”. “These irrefutable sources also called me with this claim, but go and ask them what I told them,” he said.

  • IG among senior officials of Sindh police seeking leave after Capt (r) Safdar’s arrest controversy

    IG among senior officials of Sindh police seeking leave after Capt (r) Safdar’s arrest controversy

    A day after it was reported that Sindh police was pressurised to register a case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Capt (r) Safdar, high ranking officers of the force have sought a 60-day leave.

    According to reports, several senior officers, including Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mushtaq Mahar, have decided to go on leave.

    The officials also include the additional inspector general (AIG) of Karachi, Special Branch AIG and several deputy inspector generals (DIGs).

    An application signed by AIG Special Branch Imran Yaqoob, a copy of which is available with The Current, says that he submitted the request for leave after the police high command was “ridiculed and mishandled” leading to the demoralisation of all ranks of the Sindh police.

    A day earlier, soon after the “inappropriate” arrest of Capt (r) Safdar from his hotel room in Karachi, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led Sindh government had distanced itself from the development.

    Amid criticism aimed at alleged rifts among the ranks of the joint opposition — the PPP purportedly going after allied PML-N — it was claimed that the provincial police chief had actually been forced to go after Capt (r) Safdar.

    Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday reportedly took notice of the incident.

    “Taking notice of Karachi incident, COAS has directed Karachi Corps commander to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

  • Sindh police say Safdar was arrested as per law, delete tweet later

    Sindh police say Safdar was arrested as per law, delete tweet later

    The social media cell of the Sindh Police has further aggravated the controversy surrounding the arrest of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar after it deleted a tweet that termed the arrest of the PML-N leader in accordance with the law.

    The statement updated on Twitter read: “The arrest of Capt (r) Safdar was done according to the law and the investigation will be impartial and on merit.” However, the tweet was hastily removed for unknown reasons, but it had generated over 450 retweets before being taken down.

    Screen-grab of now-removed tweet

    It was reposted to the Twitter handle later in the day.

    Safdar was arrested from his hotel room in the early hours of Monday for raising slogans at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, and jumping over the grill surrounding the grave. This had resulted in a backlash on social media and the government quarters who demanded his arrest for violating the sanctity of the place. However, the way he was arrested by police gave rise to speculations.

    Senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir has claimed the Sindh government informed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Muhammad Zubair that the provincial police chief had been “kidnapped by rangers at 4 am and forced to issue the orders for the arrest of Maryam Nawaz’s husband, Captain (r) Safdar”.

    “Unfortunate incident. Sindh Govt informed PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair that IG [insector general] Sindh was kidnapped by Rangers at 4 in the morning he was brought in sector commander’s office where addnl IG was already present and were forced to issue the orders for the arrest of Cpt Rtd Safdar [sic],” Mir claimed in a tweet.

    It was, however, rejected by another senior journalist, who said the IG was “fully onboard with the arrest”. Maintaining that internal rifts were marring the affairs of the joint opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Kamran Khan quoted sources as saying that all claims regarding the IG’s arrest were not true.

    CASE AGAINST SAFDAR, MARYAM:

    The FIR registered against the PML-N leaders Maryam Nawaz and Capt Safdar and about 200 other people said the PML-N leaders, along with 200 of their followers, reached the Quaid’s grave where Safdar jumped over the grill surrounding it and resorted to sloganeering.

    A case has been registered under Section 6 (convening of meetings or processions in the mausoleum), Section 8 (entry into mausoleum with weapon) and Section 10 (penalty for contravention of provisions) of The Quaid-e-Azam’s Mazar (Protection and Maintenance) Ordinance, 1971.

    It said the PML-N leader and his followers damaged the state property at the shrine besides threatening to kill the complainant upon intervention. “My complaint is that Safdar and his cohort violated the sanctity of the Quaid’s mausoleum and his grave. A case [should be] registered against him for raising political slogans inside the mausoleum complex, death threats against me and for damaging government property.”

  • Karachi police break into Maryam’s hotel room to arrest Safdar

    Karachi police break into Maryam’s hotel room to arrest Safdar

    Karachi police have arrested Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Capt (r) Muhammad Safdar for violating the sanctity of Jinnah Mausoleum by raising slogans at the grave of the founder of Pakistan.

    The development was shared by his wife PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who wrote that police broke into her room to arrest Safdar while she was sleeping.

    The PML-N leadership, including vice president Maryam Nawaz, had visited the mausoleum to offer fatiha on Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s grave ahead of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) power show in Karachi. However, the fatiha was followed by slogans by the PML-N supporters and Safdar jumping over the grill surrounding the grave.

    The sloganeering at the mausoleum attracted flak, especially by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership, who sought action against the PML-N leaders for the ‘hooliganism’.

    Similarly, Maritimes Minister Ali Haider Zaidi pushed police to register a case against the PML-N leaders over the incident. “Once again clearly warning CS & IG of Sindh. Action must be taken against the hooligans who created ruckus at Mazar-e-Quaid. If they are allowed to leave KHI, you will be directly held responsible for letting them escape. U will be considered as aiders & abettors in the crime,” he tweeted ahead of the arrest.

    Subsequently, an FIR was registered against the PML-N leaders Maryam Nawaz and Capt Safdar and about 200 other people. According to the complainant, the PML-N leaders, along with 200 of their followers, reached the Quaid’s grave where Safdar jumped over the grill surrounding it.

    A case has been registered under Section 6 (convening of meetings or processions in the mausoleum), Section 8 (entry into mausoleum with weapon) and Section 10 (penalty for contravention of provisions) of The Quaid-e-Azam’s Mazar (Protection and Maintenance) Ordinance, 1971.

    It said the PML-N leader and his followers damaged the state property at the shrine besides threatening to kill the complainant upon intervention. “My complaint is that Safdar and his cohort violated the sanctity of the Quaid’s mausoleum and his grave. A case [should be] registered against him for raising political slogans inside the mausoleum complex, death threats against me and for damaging government property.”

    WAS SAFDAR ARRESTED FROM HOTEL’S ROOM?:

    Though the PML-N claims that Safdar was arrested from the hotel room by the Karachi police, the claim was contested by the federal minister, Ali Zaidi, who shared a video of Safdar being taken in a police mobile. “Maryam once again lying that the hotel door was broken. Video shows otherwise. Do u see any handcuffs? Does it look like he was arrested by force?” he took a jibe at Maryam.

    However, to corroborate the claim, PML-N social media cell shared a video of the hotel room, showing the broken door of the hotel room. The statement issued by the provincial minister also strengthened the claim that the police barged into the hotel room of the PML-N leaders.

    Surprisingly, the Sindh government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has distanced itself from the matter, even though the police chief is answerable to the chief minister. PPP minister Saeed Ghani said that while Captain Safdar’s behaviour was inappropriate, the way his arrest was carried out was condemnable.

    PPP MPA Sharmila Farooqi said “sloganeering inside Mazar-e-Quaid is inappropriate, but breaking doors & arresting Captain Safdar in this manner is also unacceptable”. “Sindh government is not a party to this. Clearly a blatant attempt to sabotage the solidarity of PDM and defame Sindh government,” she added.

  • Police arrest Khairpur teacher for raping, filming minor students

    Police arrest Khairpur teacher for raping, filming minor students

    The Sindh Police have arrested a retired schoolteacher for allegedly raping minor students, many of whom he tutored at a private property in Khairpur. The suspect was caught on Friday evening after escaping arrest earlier.

    https://twitter.com/sindhpolicedmc/status/1284107833399824384?s=20

    According to details, Sukkur range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Fida Hussain Mastoi said police had raided the suspect’s hometown but he managed to escape. The DIG also confirmed the scandal that went viral on social media.

    The suspect, who was a government schoolteacher, had recently retired. He was accused of raping one of his students, recording the act and then circulating it on social media. He has also been accused of forcing his students to commit sodomy with each other. It is pertinent to mention here that all students at his tuition centre were between the ages of 10 and 12.

    After the news gained traction on social media, social activists, journalists and other members of the civil society expressed their outrage on the matter and demanded the authorities take strict action against the suspect.

    https://twitter.com/SameenaERana/status/1284028366019072002?s=20
    https://twitter.com/M_Osamaa_/status/1284188092656689155?s=20

    Mehwish Hayat also took to Twitter to applaud the Sindh Police for taking swift action.

  • VIDEO: Woman SHO assaulted as clash with worshippers erupts outside Karachi mosque

    At least one cop, a woman SHO [Station House Officer], sustained injuries after a clash between local police and worshippers erupted outside a mosque in Karachi on Friday.

    According to the details, the clash took place outside Haqqani Masjid located in the Peerabad locality of the port city as people flocked to the mosque for Friday prayers despite a government ban and complete lockdown across the metropolis on account of the coronavirus pandemic.

    A video available with The Current showed the enraged injured cop, namely Sharafat [as per her nameplate], shouting at the police personnel for arriving late, and sharing how the mob took an attempt on her life.

    “They broke my glasses,” she can be heard as saying while also instructing her staff to initiate legal proceedings.

    The video also showed hundreds of worshippers exiting the mosque.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier in the day, Sindh Minister for Information Nasir Hussain Shah said that the ban on congregational prayers across the province will be strictly followed for Friday prayers.

    Shah requested that people pray at their homes and limit their movements outside from 12 pm to 3 pm in the afternoon. He also asked citizens to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in this regard.

    “The purpose of the measures being adopted is to protect the people against the coronavirus,” he said, adding that the lockdown would actually make the lives of people safer in the long run.

    “The restriction of the prayer congregations has been enforced to protect the lives of citizens,” Shah clarified. “The religious leaders have backed the efforts made by the Sindh government in this regard,” he added.

    Sindh with 1,214 COVID-19 infections is trailing far behind Punjab where the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus has reached 2,280 — highest in the country.

    While the number of infections across Pakistan has reached 4,688 with at least 68 deaths, people still do not appear to be taking government-imposed lockdowns seriously.