Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ataullah Tarar on Friday had a brief brush with the police in Sialkot's Daska area for allegedly carrying weapons in his vehicle. The leader later vowed to respond to 'every injury in kind'.
According to a Geo News correspondent, police had stopped a PML-N convoy in Gujranwala, in which MNA (Member of National Assembly) Javed Latif, Tarar, and other leaders were present. After the vehicle was checked, police reportedly found a weapon in possession of the PML-N Gujranwala president's gunman, following which he was shifted to the police vehicle.
Following this, Tarar, Mustansar Gondal, and another PML-N leader told police officers that they would go along with their workers, after which, they were taken away by police.
PML-N workers and MPAs (Members of Provincial Assembly) staged a sit-in outside the City Police Station after the arrest, demanding their workers' and leaders' release.
In a video message, Tarar alleged that the police thrashed his driver and bystanders who tried to film the incident and vowed to respond to 'every injury in kind'.
"[Police] attacked us as they stopped [our convoy] for checking of weapons licenses," he said.
According to Geo News, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb termed 'Tarar's 'arrest' as an act of 'kidnapping' as the police booked him 'without an arrest warrant'.
The spokesperson told Geo News that the 'fascist government' is taking such steps as they are aware of their 'failure' in the by-elections, while adding that Tarar had "no case pending against him anywhere" and the authorities had nabbed him as he was an active member in orgsing the by-election campaign.
While demanding Tarar's immediate release, she called on the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should take notice of the episode, claiming that this was 'pre-poll rigging'.
However, the SSP Operations in Gujranwala said that 'only the people carrying weapons were arrested', whereas the PML-N leaders came 'voluntarily'.
While responding to PML-N's claims, Special Assistant to Chief Minister Punjab on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan claimed that Tarar had voluntarily gone with police, therefore 'there is no question of a release, as it was not an arrest'.
PML-N leaders from Lahore were in Daska to campaign for by-polls, according to party leader Uzma Bukhari.
This comes ahead of the Pakist Senate polls scheduled for March 3.
( With inputs from ANI )
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