Defence Minister and PML-N leader Khawaja Asif has condemned the mistreatment of PTI women supporters and workers, saying their privacy and honor were not maintained.
According to the details, Khawaja Asif made the comments while addressing a press conference in Sialkot. He lamented that the respect that women have in society was not maintained while adding that he does not believe in politics of vengeance.
“I want to apologize to every family who was humiliated during this period,” Khawaja Asif said while condemning the humiliation of PTI women. “I am even ready to go to their houses to apologize to them but I did not know anything about it,” he further added.
It is very happy to see Khawaja Asif condemning this. pic.twitter.com/WU2bmqqpUO
— Ashher Ahmad 🇵🇰 (@ashherahmad) May 13, 2023
"رات کو معلوم ہوا پی ٹی آئی رہنماوں کے گھر پر چھاپے مارے گئے ہیں، چادر اور چاردیواری کا تقدس پامال کرنے کی کسی کو اجازت نہیں، جن فیملیز کیساتھ براسلوک کیا گیا ان سے معافی مانگنے کیلئے تیار ہوں" خواجہ آصف#ARYNews #KhawajaAsif #PTI #PMLN pic.twitter.com/AiA1O4h1pg
— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) May 13, 2023
Following Imran Khan’s arrest, chaos erupted in Pakistan as the public heavily protested the arrest, with reports of violence and clashes between police and the protestors. In a bid to quell the protests, police authorities came down hard on PTI workers, including women.
Read more: Shireen Mazari arrested as crackdown on PTI continues
PTI supporter women were arrested. On resistance, the women police dragged the women workers of PTI and put them in the prisoners’ van. Several videos of PTI women workers being manhandled by police authorities went viral and triggered mass condemnation on social media.
One striking video was of a woman standing alone in front of police officers in Lahore’s Cantt area. In the video, the woman throws a black chadar on the ground and strides towards the police. A policeman then grabs her by the hair and pulls her towards a larger contingent of law enforcers.
PTI leaders in their strong-worded reaction strongly condemned the police brutality and termed the PTI women and workers’ being arrested, dragged, and pushed inside prison vans an absolutely shameful act and vowed that they would stand with the supremacy of the constitution.
Apart from arresting PTI workers from the streets, the police authorities also raided the houses of senior PTI leaders and harassed their family members, for instance, clips were shared of Usman Dar’s ransacked house. The police also surrounded Usman Dar’s mother and after spotting the camera outside, one of them drew the curtains to obstruct the view.
Read more: Crackdown against PTI racks up after Imran Khan’s arrest