TOBA TEK SINGH: Jhang’s Kotwali policemen raided the house of Sheikh Waqas Akram on Friday evening after police registered a case against the PTI leader and former federal minister for allegedly inciting people against the state.

Carrying arrest warrants, the police searched his house situated opposite the DPO house but could not find him there.

Complainant Muhammad Tanveer Abbas Noul, a resident of Islamnagar, Jhang, alleged in the first information report (FIR) that when Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, Mr Akram released a video statement, asking the people to come out of homes and attack those who had arrested their leader, army installations and the government property.

It added that due to Mr Akram’s instigation, a lot of damage to important installations of the army and government property was done during the riots. The FIR alleged that the statement of the PTI leader was tantamount to terrorism, anti-nationalism and treason. The complainant did not explain why he had delayed registration of the case for 24 days. .

The police registered the case under Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, Section 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 16 of Maintenance of Peace Order.

Since Sheikh Waqas Akram’s cell was switched off, his father, the owner of a countrywide bus transport company and former Jhang tehsil nazim Sheikh Muhammad Akram, said the case was baseless as no protest was launched by his son in Jhang.

Sheikh Waqas Akram had joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in March this year. Earlier, he served as a federal minister during the tenure of PML-N government from 2013-18. Before that he was a part of the PML-Q and remained a minister in the PPP tenure in the federal government from 2008-13 as a coalition partner of the ruling party. He had contested the 2018 election as an independent candidate but lost it.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2023