The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to recover and produce Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) social media activist Azhar Mashwani, who has been missing since last week, in court on April 3.
Azhar Mashwani’s brother filed the petition for habeas corpus in the LHC, upon which LHC Justice Aalia Nadeem issued the order.
Meanwhile, PTI’s Insaf Youth Wing has announced countrywide protests for the immediate recovery of Azhar Mashwani. Earlier, Amnesty International had also raised concern over the disappearance of Azhar Mashwani.
On the other hand, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that Azhar Mashwani is not in the custody of any law enforcement agency that comes under his ministry.
While talking to journalist Talat Hussain on Samaa News, he said that PTI is doing drama over Azhar Mashwani, adding that he is not missing but PTI has hidden him somewhere to do propaganda against the government and institutions, and through this tactic they are tarnishing the image of the country at an international level.
The minister said that earlier PTI leaders and workers alleged that they were tortured in the custody of police, but no one is willing to conduct a medical examination to present evidence. “How can we initiate an inquiry unless we are provided with evidence?” he questioned.
While responding to a question, Rana said that every ministry has its own domain, and the domain cannot be crossed.
On March 24, The focal person for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s digital media, Azhar Mashwani ‘went missing’.
Sources privy to the development told The Friday Times that the PTI leader is being questioned by law enforcement agencies for his alleged role in a smear campaign against Pakistan Army and COAS Asim Munir.
Sources maintained that PTI social media activist Mashwani was allegedly running a smear campaign against the army with fake accounts.
