Scenes of violence were seen in the federal capital as Islamabad police began an operation inside the Parliament Lodges and began making arrests, including lawmakers of the opposition JUI-F. The police claim to have acted in response to security volunteers of the JUI-F, known as Ansar-ul-Islam, who entered the Lodges earlier. Opposition figures state that the Ansar volunteers are unarmed and were called there as guests of the lawmakers in the Lodges.
The police went on to make a number of arrests, including that of JUI-F MNA Salahuddin Ayubi. Videos circulating on social media showed police searching the lodges, making arrests and dragging JUI-F workers out of the lodges.
مولانا صلاح الدین ایوبی اور سینٹر کامران مرتضی کی گرفتاری۔۔۔ سیکیورٹی اراکین اسمبلی میں گالم گلوچ😌 pic.twitter.com/wtm2t2g8k7
— Shehzad Ali Raja (@RajaShehzadAli) March 10, 2022
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) leader and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazal-ur-Rahman arrived at the Parliament Lodges, calling on party workers to come to the capital.
He alleged that the government was trying to abduct lawmakers. “Our MNAs will be kidnapped using the Islamabad police,” he claimed.
— Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman (@MoulanaOfficial) March 10, 2022
PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique was meeting Ayaz Sadiq when he found out about the police action at the Parliament Lodges. ” We tried to explain to them that you can’t enter the lodges this way.” He expressed his view that the authorities’ move was illegal.
For his part, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid alleged that 70 members of the Ansar-ul-Islam had been brought into the Parliament Lodges and hidden there. He stated that “they beat and locked up police officials and did not hand over Ansarul Islam members.”
