ISLAMABAD: PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan was arrested by the Islamabad police as the interior ministry accused the party of peddling “anti-state propaganda”.
PTI founder Imran Khan’s lawyer Ali Ijaz Buttar earlier claimed that PTI’s Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Hasan were “arrested by the Islamabad police from the party’s office”.
“I just received a call from the party’s office informing that 300 to 400 policemen arrived at the [party’s] office and arrested PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and Information Secretary Raoof Hasan,” Buttar wrote on the X platform.
The party also condemned the move through its official X account and lambasted the Islamabad police. “It’s absolutely shameful how Islamabad Police continues to completely mock and disregard every law in this country,” the party said while resharing Buttar’s post. “Law of the jungle is reigning over Pakistan!”
The party also shared footage on the X platform, showing several police vehicles and a few police personnel outside the party’s central secretariat.A statement from the interior ministry issued later confirmed Hasan’s arrest.
Referring to the Saturday arrest of PTI’s international media coordinator Ahmed Waqas Janjua, the ministry said that the Islamabad police and Federal Investigation Agency conducted a raid on the PTI’s digital media wing in light of the preliminary investigation and digital content.
“Raoof Hasan was arrested during the raid. PTI is involved in anti-state propaganda,” the ministry statement said, adding that a joint investigation team was being constituted.
The statement was issued shortly after a press conference by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif who said “digital terrorists” were using tools such as cell phones, computers, falsehood, and propaganda to impose their will on society just like regular terrorists do.
The DG ISPR questioned the lack of action against such individuals despite their activities against the leadership of the state and other institutions. “Instead of the courts and regulations moving forward against them, they’re given further space and they’re made heroes in the name of freedom of expression,” he said.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference later with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Omar Ayub and former NA speaker Asad Qaiser, Barrister Gohar said the PTI’s central secretariat was raided before 12pm today, all CCTV footage was collected and Hasan was arrested.
