Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Aun Abbas Bappi on Saturday recounted his dramatic arrest, claiming he was forcibly taken from his home and later presented before a judge without being informed of his charges.
Addressing the Senate after his production orders were enforced, Bappi thanked Chairman Senate Senator Yusuf Raza Gilani for ensuring his presence in the House, Express News reported.
However, he expressed disappointment over the non-implementation of production orders for fellow PTI Senator Ejaz Chaudhry.
Recounting his arrest, he stated, “On March 6, I was at home when, at 8:30 AM, 20 people arrived. My office and residence were raided. I was asleep when they grabbed me by the collar and dragged me away. They demanded my mobile phone. My son was also taken but later released.”
Bappi further revealed, “My face was covered with a black cloth, and after two hours of travel, I was presented before a judge. When the judge asked what charges had been filed against me, I asked where I was. The judge informed me that I was in Yazman, Bahawalpur, and that I was accused of hunting five deer.”
He alleged that his detention was politically motivated, linking it to his campaign against inflation in Punjab.
He also referenced his temporary detention at a police station where Fawad Chaudhry had previously been held under a water tap theft case.
Demanding fair treatment, Bappi insisted that Chaudhry’s production orders be enforced, stating, “Either implement Ejaz Chaudhry’s orders or cancel mine as well.”
In protest over the non-compliance with Chaudhry’s production orders, Bappi walked out of the Senate session and was later escorted away by the police from Parliament House.
Yesterday, the arrest of PTI Senator Aun Abbas Buppi in a case registered against him by the Punjab Wildlife Department led to furore in the Senate session on Thursday, with a heated exchange between the chair and Senator Manzoor Kakar.
The house met here with Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan Nasar in the chair. At the outset, Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz informed the house about the arrest of Buppi at 8:30am. He claimed that Buppi’s house had been vandalised and asked whether the Senate chairman was informed before the arrest.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar confirmed the arrest of Buppi, while replying to Faraz, but said that it was news to him too. “The Punjab Wildlife Department has registered a case against Aun Abbas Buppi, for hunting chinkara deer,” the minister told the house.
However, opposition’s nonstop pandemonium and noisy protest continued. The opposition members raised slogans and thumped desks as mark of protest against Buppi’s arrest and the suspension of three PTI senators – Buppi, Humayun Mohmand and Falak Naz – during an earlier session.
The chair asked the treasury benches to convince the opposition to return to the house and join the proceedings. He also asked the law minister to submit a detailed report about the arrest of Buppi. Tarar assured the Senate that he would ensure that all legal assistance was provided to the detained senator.
He said that further verification was under way to determine whether the arrest was legally justified. “If the arrest was conducted as per legal procedures, the individual should be presented before a magistrate, and the bail process should proceed accordingly,” he said..
