As many as 47 leaders and workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) including Zulfi Bukhari, Sadaqat Abbasi and Fayazul Hassan Chauhan, who voluntarily gave their arrests to Rawalpindi police a day earlier, were shifted to different prisons in remote areas of Punjab. The PTI leaders were detained by the police from Committee Chowk area of the garrison city during the party’s “Jail Bharo Tehreek” (court arrest movement) .
Initially, on the instruction of Punjab caretaker government, all the detainees were transferred to Central Jail Adiala and deputy commissioner Rawalpindi issued their orders for up to 30 days under Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).
However, late on Friday night, the Adiala Jail administration received orders from the Punjab IG Prisons Mubashir Malik to shift the detained PTI workers to difference jails of the province.
Subsequently, PTI leaders Bukhari, Abbasi, Chauhan and Ejaz Khan Jazi were transferred to Shahpur Jail while 41 other workers were transferred to Hafizabad jail.
A prisons department officer confirmed the transfer of PTI leaders and workers to the two jails on the condition of anonymity and said that the transfer was carried out on the orders of the IG Prisons.
It is pertinent to mention that last time when PTI leaders and workers were transferred to Central Jail Adiala, a large number of PTI workers gathered outside the prison and raised slogans in favour of the detained party leaders.
However, the authorities have said that the PTI leaders and workers have been transferred from Adiala Jail due to “security and administrative reasons”.
Earlier this week, PTI chief Imran Khan had launch the movement aimed at pushing the government for early elections, registering a protest against the prevailing economic instability in the country as well as condemning the alleged crackdown on party leaders and activists.
