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Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has ordered a probe into the so-called 'Karachi incident' involving an FIR registered against PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz's husband, retired Captain Muhammad Safdar, and his subsequent arrest in Karachi.
According to The Express Tribune an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said,"Taking notice of the Karachi incident, the COAS has directed the Karachi Corps Commander to immediately inquire into the circumstances to determine the facts and report back as soon as possible."
This announcement was made after Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressed the media and requested the COAS and ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to investigate how the Sindh police chief was pressured into registering a case against Safdar.
The Twitter War:
In a series of tweets on Monday morning, Maryam Nawaz stated that Safdar had been arrested from a hotel they were staying at in Karachi. In the tweets she claimed that the police "barged in" while she was "sleeping".
According to Dawn news the arrest happened a day after Safdar raised anti-government slogans at Muhammad Ali Jinnah mausoleum on Sunday before the Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) second power show in Karachi.
This was followed by an FIR which was registered against Maryam Nawaz, Safdar and 200 others for violating the sanctity of the mausoleum.
The Sindh Police explained in series of tweets their side of the story “IG Sindh has decided to defer his own leave and ordered his officers to set aside their leave applications for ten days in the larger national interest, pending the conclusion of the inquiry.”
Where the police coerced?
According to media reports there are rumours that the Sindh police chief was kidnapped by Pakistan army troops. This was to put pressure on Karachi police to arrest Safdar Awan. It has ben reported by The International Herald, 10 Karachi police officers were killed in clashes that broke out between the Army and the police in the financial capital of Pakistan. As the clashes intensified Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has directed the Karachi Corps Commander for an inquiry into the situation.
Gulshan-e-Iqbal Blast
Meanwhile, a powerful explosion of four storey building at least three people were killed and 15 others injured on Wednesday in Pakistan's Sindh province. At least two floors of the building near Maskan Chowrangi in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal area in Karachi were severely damaged, creating fears that casualties may rise.