_akhbar.jpg)
PESHAWAR: A recent media talk by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief has triggered a fresh debate after he admitted that the police had implemented detention orders issued against now dysfunctional chief minister Muhammnad Sohail Afridi but denied the force’s involvement in the alleged arrests of several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ministers and lawmakers and raids on their houses over the past several weeks.
The police chief spoke about the issue publicly for the first time, having mostly avoided such questions on camera in the past. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed told Geo News that detention orders issued by the district administration were implemented by the police.
In response to a question, he admitted that chief minister Sohail Afridi, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and others had been detained by the police after the imposition of governor’s rule. Asked whether the chief minister and the speaker were in police custody, the IGP said they were not in police custody but were under detention.
The IGP denied any police involvement when asked about the alleged arrests of provincial ministers and MPAs in the days preceding the imposition of governor’s rule. He denied the police’s role in raids on the residences of ministers, MPAs and MNAs after the imposition of governor’s rule. Zulfiqar Hameed said every action taken and raid conducted by the police was properly investigated and documented.
He said the police found themselves in a difficult position in situations where the provincial and federal governments had different policies, including during the operation against illegal foreigners.
