Veteran politician Javed Hashmi has raised serious allegations, asserting that the Punjab police conducted a raid on his residence in Multan in the early hours of Wednesday. Hashmi, a former president of the PTI, took to the social media platform X to disclose that approximately 20 police officers entered his home in Makhdoom Rasheed town in Multan district without legal authorization at 1 am.
The arrest of his son-in-law and grandson, Shahid Bahar and Qasim, respectively, was made without the presentation of any warrants, violating the sanctity of his home, according to Hashmi. Disturbingly, he also reported the arrest of several household workers, accompanying his statement with visuals of a damaged door at his residence.
This incident comes on the heels of Hashmi’s announcement earlier in the week, declaring his withdrawal from the NA-149 election. Instead, he declared the initiation of a movement advocating for the release of the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who currently faces charges of corruption and treason and is held in Adiala Jail.
Changing Parties at intervals
Once in a press conference at his residence, Hashmi outlined his history of opposing the establishment, expressing his support for Nawaz Sharif in 2018 when he was allegedly excluded from the election by the establishment favoring Imran and PTI. Hashmi, once a PTI president, disclosed his departure from the party in 2014 due to disagreements with Khan’s decision to stage a sit-in against the elected government of Sharif in Islamabad. He later reconciled with the Sharifs, rejoining PML-N in 2018.
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Hashmi placed blame on the establishment for the nation’s economic and political challenges, emphasizing that no establishment could ensure the prosperity of the country and its people. Significantly, he justified his support for Imran Khan by asserting that Khan was currently confronting the establishment. This narrative portrays Hashmi as a political figure navigating the complex dynamics between political parties and the establishment, all against the backdrop of his family’s recent arrest.