Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Central Leader Farrukh Habib, along with eight others, was apprehended in Gwadar by security forces.
Balochistan Caretaker Minister for Information, Jan Achakzai, confirmed the arrest of the PTI leader and eight accompanying individuals to Dawn.
According to officials, Mr. Habib arrived in Gwadar and was lodging at a local hotel. Acting on intelligence regarding his presence, security personnel in plainclothes conducted a raid, resulting in the arrest of Mr. Habib and the eight others.
Among those detained in the operation were Mr. Habib’s brother and father-in-law, who were subsequently relocated to an undisclosed location.
“The PTI leader, accompanied by his brother, father-in-law, and six others, arrived in Gwadar with the intention of crossing into Iran,” Mr. Achakzai informed Dawn.
After transferring Mr. Habib, his brother, and father-in-law to an undisclosed location, six others were handed over to Gwadar police. Following preliminary investigations, Gwadar police released all six individuals on bail.
The individuals released on bail were identified as Jawad Ehsan Raza, Muhammad Mohsin, Abdul Jabbar, Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Saqib Nasim, and Mudassir. They hail from Lahore, Karachi, and Bahawalpur.
PTI Condemns Enforced Disappearance
In a strong response to these developments, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) decried what it termed the abduction of PTI West Punjab’s president and former Minister of State, Farrukh Habib. The party called upon the Chief Justice of Pakistan to promptly address what they described as “shameful efforts to promote lawlessness by state abductors in the country.” This, they argued, was essential to combat the growing trend of fascism and inhumane practices in the nation.
According to PTI’s Media Cell, a PTI spokesperson vehemently condemned the enforced disappearance of Mr. Habib. They asserted that the increasing state operations and repression against PTI, in the run-up to the upcoming general elections, amounted to a regrettable attempt to sideline the PTI, the only federal political party.
The PTI spokesperson further stated that every form of cruelty, coercion, and brutality was being employed in a notorious plan to exclude PTI Chairman Imran Khan and PTI from the electoral landscape. This, they contended, was driven by fear of the rising popularity of PTI’s leader across the country.
