Bannu orders 30-day detention of PTI MNA Naseem Ali Shah

Bannu Deputy Commissioner Ziaur-Rehman has ordered the 30-day detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Maulana Syed Naseem Ali Shah under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance.

According to the detention order issued on October 19, the lawmaker will be held at Central Jail Haripur unless the order is withdrawn earlier. The action was taken under Section 3(1) of the MPO Ordinance.

The order alleges that Naseem Ali Shah was involved in anti-state activities and encouraged local residents to participate in illegal protests. It also accuses him of blocking public roads and obstructing the performance of official duties.

The deputy commissioner stated that the material presented before him suggested the lawmaker’s presence could threaten public safety and disturb public peace and order. The 30-day detention period will begin from the time of his arrest.

Copies of the order were sent to senior provincial officials, including the additional chief secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home and Tribal Affairs Department, the Bannu divisional commissioner, relevant regional police officers and the district police officers of Bannu and Haripur.

The superintendent of Central Jail Haripur was directed to keep the PTI lawmaker in custody in accordance with the order.

Reports of Naseem Ali Shah’s arrest emerged on Monday when police allegedly took him into custody during an operation at his madrassa, Jamia Markaz-ul-Islami, in the Ghoriwala area of Bannu.

At the time of the reported arrest, police had not publicly explained the reasons for taking him into custody. Details about any cases registered against him and his whereabouts were also initially unclear.