Former PM Khan Party activist Sanam Javed arrested in Islamabad after temporary release – Lawyer
ISLAMABAD: Sanam Javed, a member of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has been arrested in Islamabad after being briefly released in connection with Pakistani street violence over Khan’s arrest in May last year, the party and his lawyer said on Sunday.
Following Khan’s arrest on May 9, 2023 in a corruption case, hundreds of his supporters took to the streets across the country, allegedly looting military and other property.
Thousands of people, including Javed, were arrested in the aftermath of the attack after authorities promised to bring the perpetrators of the violence to justice, and some were tried in military courts.
Javed’s lawyer Ali Ashfaq told X TV that Javed had been arrested again by Islamabad police after his release on Sunday in a case related to the May 9 riots.
“We handed her over to the police without any resistance,” Ashfaq said. “This is how law-abiding people should act and that’s what we did.”
Javed was earlier released by an Islamabad court in a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) case filed on May 9, 2023, for allegedly inciting people to violence.
PTI women activists are facing numerous cases on similar charges in Lahore, Gujranwala and other cities.
On July 11, the Lahore High Court released her in a case relating to the May 9 riots filed against her in Gujranwala. However, she was rearrested by Islamabad police soon after coming out of Gujranwala Central Jail on Saturday.
Khan’s PTI party says it is facing a crackdown and mass arrests of its members for supporting Khan, who has been jailed since August last year – allegations denied by Pakistani authorities.
Khan and his wife, Bushra Khan, were arrested by Pakistani authorities on Saturday in a case involving the illegal sale of state gifts. A court allowed his appeal against a ruling that he had violated the country’s marriage laws and ordered his immediate release.
Khan and his wife were sentenced to seven years in prison and fined by a court in February for their illegal marriage in 2018. Bushra was accused of failing to complete the Islamically mandated waiting period, known as “iddat,” after divorcing her previous husband and marrying Khan.
The former prime minister has been jailed since August last year after being convicted on four charges, two of which have since been suspended and he was acquitted of the third, meaning the Idat case remains the only reason he remains incarcerated.
Khan, considered Pakistan’s most popular politician, has said the case against him is “politically motivated” and aimed at preventing him from returning to power, a charge Pakistani officials deny.
