According to police sources on Thursday, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was arrested in a pre-dawn raid under section 3 of Maintenance of Public order (3MPO). The arrest was made at the Gilgit Baltistan House in Islamabad, after a failed attempt by the police to arrest him on Wednesday afternoon, as reported by Geo news.<\/p>\n
Police sources say that Qureshi is wanted in cases of riots and arsons in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, before his arrest, Qureshi encouraged PTI workers to continue their struggle for true freedom in the country.<\/p>\n
He stated that as a former foreign minister of Pakistan, he had always defended Pakistan’s interests at every forum and has been in practical politics for 40 years. He expressed no regrets and had not made any provocative statements that could lead to lawsuits. Qureshi is confident that the PTI’s struggle will reach its destination.<\/p>\n
Qureshi also expressed his sadness over the approximately 50 casualties in the recent violent protests that erupted after the arrest of party chairman Imran Khan in Islamabad. He emphasized that a worthwhile cause requires sacrifices and the PTI and its workers will continue their struggle for such a worthy cause.<\/p>\n
Qureshi further stated that the allegation of the Corps Commander Lahore incident is a false charge against him and Imran Khan. He called upon party activists to remain calm and stick to their cause.<\/p>\n