MNA Ali Wazir 'arrested' again

Ali Wazir, a Member of the National Assembly (MNA), has been arrested months after his release from prison, sources said Monday, with the detention taking place in North Waziristan.

It is not yet clear on what charges he has been arrested.

The development comes days after the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) cybercrime circle summoned Wazir and Manzoor Pashteen over mutiny charges for their social posts.

In a notice, the FIA summoned Wazir, Pashteen and three others to its Peshawar office on June 23.

Wazir, an MNA from South Waziristan, was released on February 14 from the Karachi Central Jail after being behind bars for more than two years.

He was arrested in Peshawar on December 16, 2020, in connection with a case lodged against him at Karachi's Sohrab Goth Police Station on charges of sedition for delivering hate speeches against state institutions.

He was later arrested in more cases lodged on similar charges in the port city and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In his address to the National Assembly, MNA Mohsin Dawar said the reason behind his fellow lawmaker's arrest is not known. Still, reports suggested that the FIA had taken him into custody.

"It is being said that the cyber crime wing had registered a case against him. There's a session going on and the speaker's permission wasn't sought for his arrest."

This action cannot be called an arrest but "abduction", Dawar said. "When a National Assembly session is underway, no member of the house can be arrested," he said.

He urged NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to seek details from authorities about Wazir's arrest. "For now, we will consider him kidnapped."

Lamenting that there's "no rule of law" in the country, Dawar said 25 agencies are functioning in Pakistan; they can stop crimes.