LAHORE / ISLAMABAD: PTI Punjab chapter president Hammad Azhar on Wednesday asked the party leaders and workers to install secret CCTV cameras not just inside their home premises but also on the streets and in the neighbouring houses.

The directive came in the wake of the alleged ‘abduction’ of PTI members, enforced disappearances and raids on their homes and businesses in the provinces.

Mr Azhar through tweets asked the party workers to use wireless Wi-Fi-enabled cameras, adding that police traced the location of cameras and then destroyed them. He also accused police of stealing the DVR (recording boxes). He asked the military to go back to the barracks and stop alleged oppression against its own people.

In a separate development, the party replaced its representatives in the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.

Ali Zafar replaces Shibli Faraz on Judicial Commission of Pakistan

Expressing agitation over deaths of protesters in Islamabad on Nov 26, Mr Azhar alleged that the democratic rights of people had been trampled and the situation was entering a dangerous phase now.

He said that the “Islamabad carnage” should be enough to show all the enablers of this “fascism”, both domestic and international, the scale of the abuse of power and violation of human rights that were in play in Pakistan. “Cease this nonsense immediately and stand with the people of Pakistan,” he appealed. He claimed that a PTI leader, Alamgir Khan, had been kidnapped from his residence by masked men.

He said that the election rigging case regarding NA-236 (Karachi) had entered the decisive stage. Alamgir Khan, he added, got more than 100,000 votes from this constituency but the ‘Pharaohs of Time’ showed 1,000 in Form 47 and declared the MQM candidate, who came last, as the winner.

Meanwhile, the PTI replaced its representatives in the JCP. Both new members are lawyers.

The party had earlier nominated Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and Leader of Opposition in the Senate Shibli Faraz as members of the JCP.

However, during the current week it decided to replace the two with lawyers. Omar Ayub resigned as a member of the JCP and suggested party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan be appointed in his place. The resignation was sent to the National Assembly speaker. Similarly, the party has decided to nominate Barrister Ali Zafar in place of Shibli Faraz.

On Wednesday, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani nominated Barrister Zafar as a member of the JCP to represent the opposition during meetings of JCP.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2024