Info Minister claims Murad Saeed hiding in KP CM House

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has claimed that fugitive Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed is hiding in the Chief Minister House Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Tarar alleged that Murad Saeed led a contingent during the PTI protest in the federal capital on November 26.

“Murad was not only present at the rally but was also leading at least 1,500 trained miscreants, including undocumented Afghan citizens, in the protest at D-Chowk,” the minister said.

The information minister said that the armed men targeted the security forces with heavy weapons, resulting in the death of several security personnel.

Responding to a question, Attaullah Tarar said that Murad Saeed is now hiding in the KP Chief Minister House but raiding the provincial chief’s office to arrest the fugitive opposition leader does not seem right.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry had said that the resources of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government were used without restraint in the repeated protests in the capital.

Read more: Arshad Sharif’s family denies claims of Murad Saeed seeking refuge at their home

According to the Interior Ministry, “Police and Rangers did not use live ammunition to disperse the violent crowd during the protests.”

“The army was not engaged with the violent crowd nor was it deployed to stop the violence,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson clarified that the armed guards along with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership and the armed miscreants among the protesters opened indiscriminate fire.

The ministry said that “military forces were deployed to ensure the security of important installations.”As per the Interior Ministry spokesperson, PTI leadership instead of tackling the situation, opted to escape from the scene.

“The PTI has initiated an organized propaganda on social media. A despicable effort being made to hold the law enforcement agencies responsible for alleged deaths in protest,” the ministry stated.