ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has come under fire from opposition and human rights groups over allegations that authorities tortured Pakistani Tehreek-i-Insaf workers in the most gruesome way possible (PTI), including sexual abuse of women.
Social media is rife with stories of alleged physical and sexual abuse of female PTI supporters, who were arrested and held in detention centers following protests against the former prime minister. Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9.
PTI says more than 10,000 of its workers, many of them women, are currently locked up in overcrowded prisons as Class C prisoners in the scorching summer heat.
Growing public reaction to human rights abuses prompted Home Secretary Rana Sanaullah to accuse the PTI during a presser on Sunday of spreading lies to slander law enforcement. He said intelligence agencies had intercepted a conversation indicating that the PTI was planning two “rapes” and blamed it on the security forces. He provided no evidence to support his statement.
PTI leader Imran dismissed the interior minister’s allegations as false and accused the latter of making up bizarre stories to cover up “horror stories” coming from the detention centres.
“If there were any doubts about abused women in prison, this press conference from this certified criminal should clear all those doubts,” Imran tweeted.
Nearly 100 PTI officials were released on two conditions set by the authorities: quitting the party or politics and publicly condemning attacks on military installations during nationwide protests against Imran’s arrest.
After Home Minister’s comments, Islamabad police sent alerts to ensure cameras in police stations, offices and prisons were working properly to avoid ‘plans to target officials’ “. Police noted that a “planned campaign to defame institutions” had been launched.
“While all women are respectable, some may be used in this campaign,” police said in a statement.
Social media is rife with stories of alleged physical and sexual abuse of female PTI supporters, who were arrested and held in detention centers following protests against the former prime minister. Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9.
PTI says more than 10,000 of its workers, many of them women, are currently locked up in overcrowded prisons as Class C prisoners in the scorching summer heat.
Growing public reaction to human rights abuses prompted Home Secretary Rana Sanaullah to accuse the PTI during a presser on Sunday of spreading lies to slander law enforcement. He said intelligence agencies had intercepted a conversation indicating that the PTI was planning two “rapes” and blamed it on the security forces. He provided no evidence to support his statement.
PTI leader Imran dismissed the interior minister’s allegations as false and accused the latter of making up bizarre stories to cover up “horror stories” coming from the detention centres.
“If there were any doubts about abused women in prison, this press conference from this certified criminal should clear all those doubts,” Imran tweeted.
Nearly 100 PTI officials were released on two conditions set by the authorities: quitting the party or politics and publicly condemning attacks on military installations during nationwide protests against Imran’s arrest.
After Home Minister’s comments, Islamabad police sent alerts to ensure cameras in police stations, offices and prisons were working properly to avoid ‘plans to target officials’ “. Police noted that a “planned campaign to defame institutions” had been launched.
“While all women are respectable, some may be used in this campaign,” police said in a statement.
