Yasmin Rashid decries victimisation, repeated arrests in letter to CJP
LAHORE: PTI Punjab president Dr Yasmin Rashid has written a letter to the chief justice decrying “political victimisation” and repeated arrests of her party colleagues.
Ms Rashid, who has been in prison for almost a year now, wrote the letter on Monday, reminding CJP Qazi Faez Isa that many female PTI workers were still languishing in jail “without trial and basic right to bail”.
She added that even if a PTI worker gets bail in a case, they are arrested on another “trumped up” charge.
If one case closes, another is lodged, Ms Rashid said, adding that “this is not justice, but sustained political victimisation for over a year now”.
Questions why police have not charged prisoners; seeks commission for May 9 probe
She questioned why the cases hadn’t progressed for over a year.
“Why have the police not been able to [charge] those held by it in different cases? Who is transferring judges frequently to stall the cases’ progress? Why is the government not pushing the police to come up with [case] records? Why are even official prosecutors missing hearings and seeking adjournments?”
Ms Rashid quipped that she hoped the government wouldn’t blame her party for these shortcomings. “We hope that the government would not accuse the PTI of controlling police and courts from jails.”
She urged the chief justice to take notice and form a commission to investigate the events of May 9 and “ensure justice for PTI”.
Ms Rashid reportedly expressed similar sentiments in February when she reminded the judges that several Pakistani women were behind bars “as a part of a political victimisation spree”.
A post on PTI’s official X handle back then attributed a message to Dr Rashid and said she was compelled to state that the “law was not only blind but deaf and dumb too”.
“Mothers, sisters and daughters are incarcerated without evidence of any crime but as a part of political victimisation,” the post quoted Dr Rashid as saying.
Urging the judges to respect their duty of dispensation of justice, she stated that people had lost hope in the Election Commission of Pakistan and were looking towards the judiciary for justice.
In a previous letter sent to the CJP in April, the PTI leader expressed concern over “historical rigging” in the February 8 elections.
Ms Rashid alleged that PML-N had formed a government through fraudulent means by forging Form-47s and rigging the balloting.
The former Punjab minister had criticised the government for “subjecting people to extreme oppression” and urged the CJP to take notice of the matter.
Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2024