PTI president Chaudhry Parvez Elahi arrested in Lahore over corruption charges, while party chief Imran Khan threatens to sue the bureau that arrested him.
Islamabad, Pakistan – A top official of the party of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has promised to support the party a day after his arrest in the eastern city of Lahore.
“My message to all APK employees is that you are on the right side. You represent Pakistan. Stay strong. You shouldn’t sit back,” Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, 77, said in a video message from his Pakistani party Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday when he was arraigned before a court in Lahore.
“I am completely innocent and I trust our judiciary,” the PTI president added.
Elahi, a two-time former chief minister of the Punjab province, was arrested at his home on Thursday night on corruption charges after his bail was rejected by the Lahore court last week.
Officials said Elahi is accused of embezzling millions of rupees in funds intended for the development of his hometown of Gujarat, about 125 km north of Lahore in Punjab.
Elahi denies the allegations. The PTI said the arrest was politically motivated and part of an ongoing government crackdown in which dozens of leaders have been arrested and nearly 90 have left the party.
PTI chairman Khan, whose own May 9 arrest sparked deadly protests from his supporters and subsequent crackdown, condemned Elahi’s arrest and claimed the veteran politician had been mistreated by authorities.
“I strongly condemn the arrest of Ch Pervez Elahi on completely frivolous charges. The way he was arrested and mistreated is also shameful and reprehensible,” Khan tweeted.
Hours after Elahi’s arrest, prominent Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir (36) was allegedly kidnapped by unknown men in the country’s largest city, Karachi.
Meanwhile, Khan, who was also charged with corruption by Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that led to his arrest, has announced that he will be filing a $53 million defamation suit against the agency.
In a tweet on Friday, the cricket icon turned politician said he had issued a legal notice to Nazir Ahmad Butt, a retired military general who now heads the NAB.
“My arrest warrant was issued on a public holiday and was kept secret for eight days. I was not aware of the conversion of Al-Qadir Trust Case Inquiry to Investigation,” Khan tweeted.
“The ulterior motive was to defame me by arresting me from the Islamabad High Court buildings. And show the world that I have been arrested on corruption charges,” he wrote.
Since being removed from power after losing a confidence vote in parliament, more than 100 cases, including “terrorism” and incitement to violence, have been brought against Khan, calling it an “establishment” conspiracy – a euphemism for the mighty Pakistani army. – to prevent him from running in the national elections scheduled for October.
Top ministers in Pakistan’s government have said they intend to ban Khan’s PTI and try the party leader in a military court, where dozens of his supporters will be tried despite criticism from rights groups.
Broadcasting of Khan’s speeches or press conferences has been banned in Pakistan since March.
On Wednesday, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority banned television channels from giving airtime to “hate mongers, rioters, their facilitators and perpetrators,” without explicitly naming Khan or his party.