Alleged Torture of PTI Worker Haroon in Swabi by Unknown Persons to Force Anti-PTI Statement: Asad Qaiser

Islamabad (Daily Qudrat) — Former Speaker Asad Qaiser has leveled allegations that unknown persons subjected Haroon, a worker from Swabi, to alleged torture in order to make him speak against PTI, and also harassed his family. He asked: is being affiliated with a political party of one’s choice a crime?

In a tweet on X, he said that the alleged torture of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Swabi worker Haroon by unknown persons, and the harassment of him and his family to force him to speak against PTI, is extremely worrying.

“Subjecting any citizen to violence, pressure, or fear on the basis of political disagreement is contrary to fundamental human rights, constitutional freedoms, and democratic values.”

“What, after all, is Haroon’s fault? Is exercising one’s constitutional right to vote, being affiliated with a political party of one’s choice, and participating in the political process a crime?”

“Why, after all, are the people being made to stand against you? These are the same people who sacrificed their loved ones in the war against terrorism and endured countless hardships for peace.”

“It cannot be forgotten how difficult it becomes to confront a major challenge like terrorism without public trust and support. We demand that Haroon and his family be provided protection from the alleged harassment, that a transparent investigation into the incident be conducted, and that if torture or illegal pressure is proven, action be taken against those responsible in accordance with the law.”

“There should be no discrimination against any citizen on the basis of political affiliation. Do not give so much wind to the politics of hatred, fear, and coercion that the gap created in society becomes difficult to erase. We demand that the cycle of political revenge be stopped immediately.”

Asad Qaiser further said that if our province’s elected Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, Provincial Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, and PTI Provincial President Junaid Akbar Khan are under arrest, the government should immediately produce them before the courts so that they can begin their legal battle and exercise their right to defence.

“Clear information about their arrest, place of detention, and legal status should be provided immediately. Keeping any citizen in detention without fulfilling legal requirements and depriving him of the right to defend himself is a violation of the Constitution, the law, and fundamental human rights. Similarly, reports of the arrests of members of the national and provincial assemblies, provincial ministers, and more than 2,000 workers of Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf, and their not being produced before the courts to date, are also extremely worrying.”

“The government should immediately produce all arrested persons before the relevant courts, inform their families about them, and if there are any allegations against them, decide the matter through transparent judicial proceedings. It is regrettable that instead of ensuring the rule of the Constitution and law, political disagreement is being made a justification for retaliatory actions. A crackdown on elected public representatives, provincial ministers, and political workers on political grounds is unacceptable in any way.”

“The government must remember that arresting any person above the law or depriving him of legal rights is not acceptable. We demand that the fundamental, constitutional, and legal rights of all arrested persons be ensured and that they be produced before the courts immediately.”