Lahore Police on Sunday alleged they had arrested a suspect belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on charges of training individuals to stage violence similar to the May 9, 2023 riots during the party’s Sept. 27 long march, postponed until Oct. 4.
In a press conference, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran claimed the PTI “goon” wanted to sabotage peace, as the party officially rejected the claims. He alleged police had seized an audio recording from the suspect’s mobile phone, identifying him as “Amin.”
According to Kamran, the suspect and a PTI woman could be heard arranging 20-30 “rioters” for the planned violence across Lahore. He said the woman, Fatima Haider, had yet to be arrested, adding the detained suspect had described her as a member of the “PTI welfare wing.”
The DIG claimed Haider was also involved in cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots and was currently on bail. He alleged the two had discussed bringing “goons” to Lahore to create unrest.
“The police got information of the conspiracy on Sept. 26 and arrested Amin who hailed from Sahiwal and was working as a driver for the woman’s family,” he said, adding several audio recordings have been seized from the suspect’s phone, revealing “disturbing” plans of PTI individuals. He maintained that multiple police teams had been formed to track down all suspects involved in the plan.
Speaking with daily Dawn, PTI leader Shaukat Basra has denied the allegations, dubbing them a “narrative” of the Punjab government.