Senior leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been charged under anti-terrorism laws following their arrest during a demonstration against escalating inflation in the city, the party announced on Monday. The move has been strongly condemned by PTI as an act of ‘political victimisation.’
PTI leaders Alamgir Khan, Advocate Khalid Mahmood, Dawa Khan Sabir, and Miraj Shah were detained during the protest and presented before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) and the magistrate’s court. The ATC subsequently remanded the four officials to judicial custody.
A party spokesperson described the lodging of terrorism cases against the leaders, after their arrest at what was termed a peaceful protest, as ‘regrettable and unjust.’
The party also highlighted that an FIR registered at Pirabad police station listed elected Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) under Form 45 as ‘unknown individuals,’ a detail they claim underscores the politically motivated nature of the charges.
In a related development, bail was granted to 19 of 23 other demonstrators arrested in a separate case filed at the Artillery Maidan police station. However, the four senior PTI figures remained formally named as ‘unknown accused’ in the Pirabad FIR.
PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh visited the detained individuals at the City Court, stating they were not acting for personal benefit but were ‘raising their voices for public rights and against inflation.’ He criticised the use of handcuffs on the political figures as an affront to democratic norms.
Sheikh asserted that such tactics would fail to break the activists’ resolve. He pointed to the case of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who he said has been ‘unlawfully imprisoned for the past three years,’ as evidence of the party workers” continued commitment to their principles.
Voicing grave concern over the nation’s economic state, Sheikh remarked that inflation had reached ‘alarming levels,’ with petroleum products at record highs and half the population living below the poverty line. He accused the ‘incompetent rulers’ of pushing citizens into an economic quagmire.
The party has demanded the immediate release of all detained members, the withdrawal of what it calls ‘false cases,’ and urgent government action to ensure political stability. A spokesperson warned that such official actions amid a crisis could intensify public resentment and unrest.