'Pakistan Army Should Stop Interfering or There Will Be No Unity in the Country', Says Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) Chief Fazlur Rehman
Following the meeting with the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto at the IGP's residence, the IGP deferred his own leave and ordered his officers to set aside their leave applications for 10 days in the larger national interest, pending the conclusion of the inquiry.
Islamabad, October 21: Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday issued a warning to Pakistan Army asking it stop interfering in civilian matters of the government and police or there will be no unity in the country. Rehman told reporters that the recent Karachi incident proves the strict control of Army on everything in Pakistan.
"The army has control over the whole country. In every tehsil, there is a major sitting, in every district, there is a colonel. In every apex body in the country, there is an army officer and in front of them, these commissioners, DIGs look helpless," he said. Pakistan: Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman Slams PM Imran Khan of Framing Politicians Under False Accusations.
"Yesterday's incident has proved the strict control of the Army. Pakistan Army should vacate all tehsils, districts, towns and divisions and stop interfering in civilian matters of governments and police or else there will be no unity in the country," he added.
Rehman remarks come a day after almost all police officers in Sindh police applied for leave in protest against the humiliation meted out to the Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mehr, during the PML-N leader Safdar Awan's arrest saga, The News International reported.
PML-N leader and spokesman for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz's and former Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair said that the IGP Sindh was "kidnapped" by Rangers who forced him to file an FIR for Safdar's arrest. The development caused extreme bitterness among the police officers who retaliated by submitting leave of absence.
The incident sent shockwaves in top Army brass with Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa himself stepping in and ordering an inquiry into the "Karachi incident". Recently, political parties including Jamiat Ulema-e Islam under the banner joint opposition alliance--Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-- protested against the "puppet" government of Prime Minister Imran Khan and demanded his resignation.
Following the rally, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Maryam Nawaz's husband Safdar Awan was arrested from his hotel room. Almost the entire top brass of the police, including three Additional IGs, 25 DIGs, 30 SSPs and dozens of SPs, DSPs and SHOs across Sindh, tendered leave applications, as a protest against the "resentment and heartache caused to all ranks of the force" by the unfortunate incident of October 18/19.
In a tweet, the Sindh Police termed their reaction of filing leave application "as a spontaneous and heartfelt reaction and made on an individual basis rather than on a collective basis."
Following the meeting with the PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto at the IGP's residence, the IGP deferred his own leave and ordered his officers to set aside their leave applications for 10 days in the larger national interest, pending the conclusion of the inquiry.