The Pakistani government and military have faced criticism over the recent “Karachi incident”. A major crisis erupted in the country, with the Sindh province police in a determined fight against the all-powerful army for “kidnapping” Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mehr, during Awan’s arrest saga.
The Interior Ministry is blamed for orchestrating the arrest of Safdar Awan and the kidnapping of Mushtaq Mehr, as the Rangers, which is a federal paramilitary law enforcement organization, operates directly under the authority of Pakistan’s interior secretary.
The move to force Sindh’s IGP to register an FIR against Safdar and PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz may be the brainchild of Izaj Shah, the interior minister who also controls the Rangers, the sources said.
“No political leader in a democratic system could be allowed to attack national institutions in the name of freedom of expression,” Shah was quoted as saying by News International.
While speaking to a private news channel, he said that action should be taken against PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif for his anti-state narrative.
Shah, a former Pakistan Interservice Intelligence (ISI) operator who is often criticized for policies and support for terrorists, may have thought that his move would create a rift between the Pakistan People’s Party and the Muslim League of Pakistan. Pakistan (Nawaz).
Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran khan The government appears to be shaken by the anti-government rally in Karachi, where political parties under the banner of the joint opposition alliance – Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – protested against the “puppet” government. Thousands of people participated in the demonstration in Karachi.
After the demonstration, Maryam’s husband, Safdar Awan, was arrested in his hotel room. Safdar has now been released on bail.
Almost all police officers from the Sindh police applied for a license in protest at the humiliation inflicted on Sindh’s IGP Mushtaq Mehr.
PML-N leader and spokesperson for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz and former Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair said that the IGP Sindh was “kidnapped” by the Rangers who forced him to submit an FIR for Safdar’s arrest.
Brigadier Shah, who was appointed interior minister in 2018 by Prime Minister Imran Khan, remains a highly controversial figure in Pakistan.
The former prime minister and president of the PPP, Benazir Bhutto, had named Shah in a letter as someone who should be investigated if she was killed. After his assassination, the PPP accused Brig Shah of having ties to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, The News International reported.
Shah remained the trusted aide to former Pakistani military dictator Pervez Musharraf even after his ouster. General Musharraf had appointed Shah as High Commissioner for Australia, but Canberra refused to accept his nomination, forcing the government to withdraw him.
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