PTI Ali Haider Zaidi, the president of Sindh, was arrested on Saturday from the party’s office in Karachi following the filing of a “fraud” case against him at the Ibrahim Hyderi police station.
The case was registered under Sections 34 (acts done by several people in furtherance of a common intention), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) of the Pakistan Penal Code, according to the first information report (FIR)
A property dealer named Fazal Ilahi filed the FIR after receiving complaints about Zaidi and two other people.
The FIR states that the complainant informed police that Zaidi operated a real estate company in 2013 and had borrowed Rs180 million from him. The complainant said that Zaidi gave him the paperwork for a property with a value of Rs16.7 million as surety and made a commitment to pay the remaining Rs12.5 million within the following six months.
According to the FIR, an agreement to this effect was signed at Ilahi’s office in Ibrahim Hyderi’s Jamot Para neighborhood.
Ilahi claimed in the FIR that despite numerous requests for Zaidi to transfer the plot in his name, the latter persisted in using delay strategies. He also stated that it was later discovered that the property file Zaidi had given him was “fake”.
According to the FIR, the complainant claimed that “the suspect refused to give me the money despite my repeated requests.”
According to Ilahi, the suspect “abused his trust and committed fraud” and “had bad intentions.”
Ilahi has also requested police protection for himself and his children from Zaidi in his lawsuit.
Police have not yet made a formal comment about the situation.
PTI Leader Ali Haider Zaidi Arrested [Video]:
An earlier video on PTI’s official Twitter account showed a man, presumed to be Zaidi, being carried into a white car by individuals wearing civilian clothing while being flanked by uniformed police officers.
President PTi Sindh @AliHZaidiPTI has been picked from PTI Sindh office, absolutely shameful!! #ReleaseAliZaidi pic.twitter.com/WMfLr35Yy7
— PTI (@PTIofficial) April 15, 2023
A different video taken inside the PTI Secretariat shows officers dragging and pushing Zaidi by the arm.
PTI Condemns Arrest:
Imran Khan, the chairman of the PTI, denounced Zaidi’s detention and reiterated his assertion that it was a component of the “London plan.”
illegal police plus action in Zaman Park after 27 Ramazan or over Eid. They think this will weaken us in case elections are held. Let me state categorically this will not work. People's anger only increasing & they will see the blowback of this nefarious London Plan in elections.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 15, 2023
Haleem Adil Sheikh, the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, also denounced Zaidi’s arrest, claiming that the police entered the PTI office “illegally” and without a warrant.
Ali Zaidi needs to be released right away, the Shaikh commanded. “This era of injustice will not last for long.”
Later, the PTI organised a demonstration to oppose Zaidi’s protest at the Ibrahim Hyderi police station.
See More: Fawad Chaudhry Arrested By Islamabad Police Over Threatening ECP
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