In an uncivilized turn of events, the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan was manhandled at the Punjab University Campus today. He was later arrested by the police. A group of students kept him detained on the campus and later turned him over to the police. According to Dawn’s Report:
Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan was arrested from outside the Punjab University’s new campus on Wednesday after he had been manhandled and detained in the campus allegedly by activists of the Islami Jamiat Talaba. Imran Khan had gone to the university at the invitation of a joint action committee of students.
The visit had been approved by Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, to which the IJT is affiliated. On his arrival at the campus, the PTI chief was confronted reportedly by a group of IJT activists who kicked him around and punched him. They took him to a room in the Centre for High Energy Physics and detained him there for about 45 minutes.
This is an interesting (and sad) turn of events. Imran Khan’s party and the mother party of IJT are both partners in APDM. Imran and Qazi have been seen together in many media photo shoots for the past year or so. Will today’s action by IJT guys will cause long term bad-blood between the two parties? It is left to be seen.
We strongly believe that inspite of political differences, no person deserves physical bashing and humiliation as was met out to Imran. Political differences should never be taken to such extreme where people use force to get their point across. It is wrong. Shame on those who manhandled him. I was recently reading an article on political bashing in the Wall Street Journal. It had a punch line which just kept resonating with me. It read:
Our politics suffer when passions overcome reason and vitriol becomes virtue.
Details on Imran’s manhandling can be read here, here, here and here.
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syed ali raza: all of what he says makes me think why did my FOREFATHERS even decided to immigrate to this hell hole we call PAKISTAN!
That could be treason in a martial law environment. Be careful with showing those emotions. The price of that venting could be very high.
Its not “his personaly usage and political”, emergency and lack of rule of law effects all of us.
It is really bad event of our politcal form but it is not suited to imran khan that he used the student and education institute for his personaly usage and political.
It seems IJT is feeling insecure in PU and wanted to get into government’s good books to gain its support.
A couple of articles by jmaatis below, accepting that something is fishy in Jamaat’s explanation of the events. In other words Jamaatis planned the whole thing.
http://nawaiwaqt.com.pk/urdu/daily/nov-2007/16/col umns1.php
http://nawaiwaqt.com.pk/urdu/daily/nov-2007/16/col umns2.php
Imran is one of the few public figures in Pakistan who serves as a positive role model for our youth. And Musharraf sent a message to these young people i.e. this is how we treat a national hero. Musharraf, and his thugs, have added another dark chapter to our country’s history.
Shaikh rasheed said last night on GEO that he’s ready to participate in Election 2008. However few years back he said Election 2002 was his last election.
Hum Dhekay gay
Jab sub takht uchalay jain gay
sub takht geray jain gay
Hope MQM, PML(Chaudharis), JUI Maulan FazalurRehman
and Patriots will one day be answerable to Allah for their Mir Jafar role in current crisis.
Inshallah.
The maltreatment of national icon, mishandling of Chief Justice and other supreme court judges, maltreatment of civil society activits, and more more, dont you get it. What its all about. Its about the power-drunk-ARMY vs the people. There will be many Mir Jafars. I never see Musharraf as Mohajir or Imran as Non-Mohajir. I see it as a General vs a Civil Society Hero. Why it should be so difficult. Dont wrap it in ethnic color.
The rhetoric of “Islam” as peaceful religion is shredded whenever, the holier-then-though shows the world what they are capable of. Its not just a small case of mishandling, it shows what you will get if you elect the Maulvis to power. But again, the Army may very much want to exploit the situation.