PTI alleges torture of former lawmaker Amjad Khan Niazi, police deny accusations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) asserted on Thursday that its detained leader, Amjad Khan Niazi, had been subjected to brutal torture by unidentified individuals.

However, local police authorities promptly refuted these allegations.

According to Dawn.com, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan made the startling claim that Niazi, a former Member of the National Assembly from Mianwali, was forcibly taken from his cell to an undisclosed location after surrendering to the anti-terrorism court. There, he allegedly faced severe physical abuse.

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Expressing strong condemnation for the incident, Ayub asserted that such actions rendered the entire judicial system ineffective.

He recalled Niazi’s surrender three days prior, during which the former MNA had highlighted the judiciary’s responsibility for his well-being in the presence of the police and media.

Despite these assurances, Ayub lamented that unidentified individuals had twice removed Niazi from his cell for torture sessions at undisclosed locations.

The PTI Secretary General called upon the judiciary to promptly investigate the matter and identify the perpetrators for accountability, according to a press release from the PTI.

In response to the allegations, the Public Relations Officer to the District Police Officer (DPO) in Mianwali, Zarar Niazi, categorically denied the torture claims.

However, he remained tight-lipped about Niazi’s current whereabouts, confirming only his involvement in various FIRs registered at City Police Station.

Amjad Niazi faces accusations in FIR Nos 348, 349, and 355 related to the May 9 incident, where he is alleged to have attacked the installations of PAF base Mianwali and set fire to the local judicial complex.

Following the incident, he had gone into hiding and surrendered to the anti-terrorism court in Sargodha only a few days ago. The police subsequently transported him to Mianwali and then to PS Chidroo on the same day before relocating him to an undisclosed location.