Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf accuses army of abducting Imran Khan’s nephew

Lahore: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party on Saturday alleged that his nephew Hassan Niazi has been 'abducted' from military custody and shifted to an undisclosed location to put pressure on him.

The development comes days after Khan, 71, alleged that the Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir was directly responsible for the imprisonment of his wife Bushra Bibi.

Over 100 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers have been in the Army's custody facing military trials for their alleged involvement in attacking key military installations in May last year following the arrest of Imran Khan in a corruption case.

Khan, the founder of PTI, is facing more than 100 cases and has been lodged at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi for over eight months now.

"We strongly condemn the abduction of Imran Khan's nephew Hassan Niazi and another young PTI leader Ibad Farooq from military captivity. We want the Supreme Court to ensure their immediate release and hold kidnappers accountable," PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan said in a statement.

The spokesperson voiced great concerns over the shifting of both PTI leaders Hassan to an unknown place and said that around 100 innocent citizens have been kept in illegal military custody under the guise of a 'May 9 false flag operation', who were being subjected to political revenge.

"The inhuman treatment being meted out with the young PTI leaders is purely political because they have been facing the worst state oppression and brutality courageously for the last 10 months," he said.

He said that the abduction of Niazi and Farooq was an open attack on the sanctity of law and justice and a violation of basic human and constitutional rights. "The trial of civilians under military laws is unconstitutional."

The spokesperson further said it is shameful and condemnable to target Khan's nephew Hassan Niazi as political revenge to put pressure on the unlawfully incarcerated PTI founding leader.

He went on to say that coercive and shameful tactics are being used against Ibad Farooq to punish his brother for contesting by-elections and to keep him away from the electoral process.

The spokesperson demanded that the Supreme Court of Pakistan should take notice of the enforced disappearance and abduction of Hasan Niazi and Ibad Farooq, and ensure their earliest recovery and hold the abductors accountable.

Earlier, Khan alleged that General Munir was directly involved in the sentence handed down to his wife Bushra Bibi.

"If anything happens to my wife, I will not spare Asim Munir; I will not spare Asim Munir as long as I am alive. I will expose his unconstitutional and illegal steps," he had threatened.