TOBA TEK SINGH: Police in Jhang’s Kotwali district searched Sheikh Waqas Akram’s home on Friday evening after the PTI leader and former federal minister was charged with inciting people against the state.
The police investigated his home, which was just across the street from the DPO’s, but they were unable to locate him.
In the first information report (FIR), complainant Muhammad Tanveer Abbas Noul, a resident of Islamnagar, Jhang, claimed that when Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, Mr Akram released a video statement calling on people to come out of their homes and attack those who had arrested their leader, army installations, and government property.
It went on to say that Mr Akram’s encouragement caused significant damage to army sites and government property during the disturbances. According to the FIR, the PTI leader’s remark amounted to terrorism, anti-nationalism, and treason. The complainant could not explain why he had delayed case registration for 24 days.
The police filed the complaint under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, Section 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and Section 16 of the Order for the Maintenance of Peace.
Sheikh Waqas Akram’s phone has been turned off, and his father, Sheikh Muhammad Akram, the owner of a national bus transport firm and former Jhang tehsil nazim, has declared the charge is without merit since his son did not initiate a demonstration in Jhang.
In March of this year, Sheikh Waqas Akram joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). He formerly served as a federal minister in the PML-N administration from 2013 until 2018. Prior to that, he was a member of the PML-Q and served as a minister in the federal cabinet as a coalition partner of the governing party from 2008 until 2013. He ran as an independent candidate in the 2018 election, but lost.