Imran Khan's police breaks door & drags out Maryam Nawaz's husband after Karachi protest

In a massive development in Pakistan politics, the police has arrested Safdar Awan, the husband of Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif from the hotel they were staying in Karachi. She had recently participated in the protest by Opposition parties of Pakistan against the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan. Taking to Twitter, Maryam wrote, "Police broke my room door at the hotel I was staying at in Karachi and arrested Capt. Safdar."

'Police broke my room door'

As the Opposition held its second rally, Islamabad's premier Imran Khan told a conference of his supporters on Saturday that he would get “tougher” with the opposition leaders and put them all behind bars. According to media reports, Imran Khan said, “Come back and see where I put you,” in reference to the exiled former Prime Minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, at whom he largely directed his ire. “Now I will try my best to bring you back and put you in common prison, not VIP,” he added.

Imran Khan told his supporters that the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) thrust was to create a rift between his government, the judiciary and the army. “I will not let that happen,” he said while he also made fun of PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, whom he called a “Naani” (grandmother).

Reason for arrest not yet known

This is also not clear whether the Safdar's arrest has been made with regard to an FIR that was lodged yesterday at Brigade police station by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government representatives against Maryam, Safdar Awan and their "200 goons" for violating the "sanctity of Quaid’s Mazar Under Quaid-e-Azam’s Mazar Protection and Maintenance ordinance 1971".

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On the way to Bagh-e-Jinnah garden, Maryam made a stopover visit at Quaid's mausoleum on Sunday. Retired Captain Safdar had chanted the PML-N slogan "vote ko izzat do (honour the vote)" and urged people to join him. This move was condemned by government representatives saying that 'the sanctity of Quaid's Mazar has been disrespected'. According to Geo News, the government representatives approached the police asking them to initiate legal action against all those who participated in the act.

Among the list of leaders who showed up at the anti-government rally were JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz, former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Maulana Shah Owais Noorani, Allama Sajid Mir, Dr Abdul Malik, Iftikhar Hussain, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini. This was the second power show of the 11-party opposition alliance PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement). The first was held in Gujranwala in Lahore.

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(With agency inputs)