The Pakistan government faced criticism on Tuesday after two women workers of Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were taken to an anti-terrorism court with their ‘shopping bags’. Ayesha Masood and her young daughter Maha were produced before the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in connection with the attack on Lahore Corps Commander House known as Jinnah House on May 9 following Khan’s arrest in a corruption case, PTI reported
Both the PTI workers were sent to to jail for seven days by the court for an identification parade, the news agency reported, citing a court official.
In a video clip that has gone viral, both the women can be seen escorted by lady police and some lawyers with their head covered with a blue colour polyethene bag.
Shameful treatment of PTI women by this regime. Harassment, assault, and degrading treatment. Unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/6RyWNlAgME
— Anwar Lodhi (@AnwarLodhi) May 30, 2023
As soon as the video went viral, the government came under huge criticism for their treatment of women.
“Women have been used as a weapon by this regime. The arsenal has been manifold; blackmail, harassment, threats, illegal arrests & perhaps even more. But women have also stood up against these vile tactics and shown tremendous courage,” tweeted PTI leader and former federal minister Hammad Azhar.
While the party chief Imran Khan in his address to the nation on Tuesday said, “They (PMLN-led government and military establishment) have stooped too low as the PTI workers are being threatened that women from their houses will be taken away. Nobody could have imagined stooping to this level in Pakistan’s politics.”
However, the Punjab caretaker government denied the allegations and said that jails in the province have only seven women prisoners from PTI, including former provincial health minister Yasmin Rashid, reported news agency PTI.
Pakistan witnessed unrest after Imran Khan was arrested from outside the Islamabad High Court by a team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) assisted by a large contingent of the Rangers personnel in the case related to Al-Qadir Trust on May 9. He was later released by the court on bail.
Law enforcement agencies have arrested over 10,000 PTI workers from across Pakistan, including 4,000 from Punjab after violence broke out following Khan’s arrest, news agency PTI reported.
