Pakistan’s Parliament Lodges declared sub-jail for arrested lawmakers from Imran Khan’s party

Islamabad, Sep 14 (PTI) The residential quarters of Pakistan’s national assembly members have been declared as a sub-jail for 10 lawmakers belonging to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party to enable them to attend Parliament sittings.
     The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers were arrested on different charges, including the Anti-Terrorism Act and the newly imposed Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, after the party’s public gathering at Sangjani on Islamabad outskirts on Sunday.
     National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Friday approved the designation of Parliament Lodges as a sub-jail for the lawmakers currently detained at the suites allocated to them, The Express Tribune reported.
     “I am directed to refer to the production order issued on September 11 by the national assembly speaker with respect to the PTI lawmakers arrested recently to enable them to attend the sitting of the 9th Session of National Assembly," a National Assembly Secretariat official said in a letter to the secretary of the Interior Ministry.
     The new arrangement at Parliament Lodges is expected to address both security and procedural needs, ensuring that the detained members can fulfill their legislative duties while managing their current legal circumstances, the newspaper said.
     The decision follows a request from party chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and other members due to heightened security concerns.
     Police have registered cases against the 10 lawmakers at Sangjani, Sumbal, and Noon police stations, all near the capital area, officials said adding, the Islamabad High Court has granted them judicial remand.
     There are no special arrangements and deployment in and outside the sub-jails as police were already present there, the officials said, adding that services of the available police officers were being utilised.
     Several PTI leaders, including high-ranking figures, were charged with terrorism-related offenses over accusations of violence against police officers during the rally on Sunday.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)