Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Ali Wazir has been allegedly arrested months after his release from prison with the detention taking place in North Waziristan.
According to the details in the media, the arrest was made by the Pakistan Army near the Saplagh checkpost. It is not yet clear what charges he has been arrested for. However, the development comes days after the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime circle summoned Wazir and Manzoor Pashteen over mutiny charges for their social posts.
Nevertheless, the reports of his arrest are sparking a strong reaction on social media.
“Ali Wazir MNA is arrested once again for a peaceful protest against the abduction of PTM activists by the military. The ruthless repression of peaceful dissent in the Pashtun periphery continues in total contrast to the soft attitude towards the terrorists,” Senator Afrasiab Khattak said.
Ali Wazir MNA is arrested once again for peaceful protest against the abduction of PTM activists by the military. The ruthless repression of peaceful dissent in Pashtun periphery continues in total contrast to the soft attitude towards the terrorists.#ReleaseAliWazir
— Afrasiab Khattak (@a_siab) June 19, 2023
“MNA Ali Wazir has been arrested again. Those sitting in PDM government used his name against Khan so much, that Khan has put Ali in jail. Now what? Is Khan the PM now or Shahbaz Sharif? This is going to be another challenge for the most unpopular and un-accepted government,” journalist Ihtisham Ul Haq said.
Read more: SHC grants bail to Ali Wazir in Shah Lateef Town case
MNA Ali Wazir has been arrested again. Those sitting in PDM govt, used his name against Khan so much, that Khan has put Ali in jail. Now what? Is Khan the PM now or Shahbaz Sharif? This is going to be another challenge for the most unpopular & un-accepted govt. pic.twitter.com/Jiy4saIA14
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) June 19, 2023
“The arrest of Ali Wazir is proof that our state is based on terror. It is the right of citizens to criticize and Ali Wazir is not only a citizen but an elected representative. State coercion is never limited to one party. PDM parties should leave power instead of being puppets of this martial law,” Ammar Ali Jan, member of the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party (HKP) said.
علی وزیر کی گرفتاری ثبوت ہے کہ ہماری ریاست دہشت پر مبنی ہے۔ تنقید کرنا شہریوں کا حق ہے اور علی وزیر تو صرف شہری ہی نہیں بلکہ منتخب نمائندے ہیں۔ ریاستی جبر کبھی ایک پارٹی تک محدود نہیں رہتا۔ پی ڈی ایم کی پارٹیوں کو اس مارشل لا کی کٹھ پتلی بننے کے بجائے اقتدار چھوڑ دینا چاہئے۔
— Ammar Ali Jan (@ammaralijan) June 19, 2023
Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan also condemned the arrest of Ali Wazir saying that Waziristan is already in the grip of severe unrest and in such a situation, the crackdown on the elected representatives and their arrest is worsening the situation and environment.
علی وزیر کی شمالی وزیرستان سے ایک دفعہ پھر گرفتاری قابل مذمت ہے،
شمالی / جنوبی وزیرستان پہلے سے شدید بدامنی کے لہر میں ہیں۔ ایسے میں منتخب نمائندوں کے اوپر کریک ڈاؤن ان کی گرفتاری حالات اور ماحول کو مزید خراب کررہی ہے۔ وفاقی ، صوبائی حکومت ، سیکورٹی ادارے منتخب نمائندوں کی… pic.twitter.com/cYIdqH1GMK— Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan | سینیٹر مشتاق احمد خان (@SenatorMushtaq) June 19, 2023
Ali Wazir, an MNA from South Waziristan, was released on February 14 from the Karachi Central Jail after being behind bars for more than two years.
He was arrested in Peshawar on December 16, 2020, in connection with a case lodged against him at the Karachi’s Sohrab Goth Police Station on charges of sedition for delivering hate speeches against state institutions.
Read more: Should PTM’s Ali Wazir be part of Pakistan’s National Assembly?
He was later arrested in more cases lodged on similar charges in the port city and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.