Ansarul Islam, a volunteer force of Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) and Fazal ur Rehman, was arrested from the Parliament Lodges by police in Islamabad, hours after they entered the premises.
The presence of the group inside the lodges was noted by Islamabad Inspector General of Police Muhammad Ahsan Younus. An official account of the capital police tweeted that he had suspended the officials responsible for D-Chowk, under whose watch the Ansarul Islam workers entered the lodges. Subsequently, he personally led the operation.
انصار الاسلام فورس کا پارلیمنٹ لاجز میں داخل ہونے کا معاملہ
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) March 10, 2022
آئی جی اسلام آباد محمد احسن یونس نے نوٹس لیتے ہوئے ڈی چوک پر قائم ناکہ انچارج، پارلیمنٹ لاجز کے انسپکٹر انچارج اور لائن آفیسر کو معطل کر دیا۔
Footage on Twitter showed police officials conducting a search inside the lodges and looking for “the ones in uniforms”. In separate videos, police officials were seen making arrests and forcing JUI-F workers out of the lodges.
Scenes from the Parliament lodges pic.twitter.com/KjZaopAxRS
— Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) March 10, 2022
Meanwhile, after the arrests JUI chief has announced a nationwide strike and called on his workers to arrive in Islamabad. He said he would present himself for arrest in protest.
Maulana Fazal ur Rehman, who was also at the site before the police stormed the lodges, said that Ansarul Islam volunteers were not there to clash with the police, which he said, must turn back.
“Raiding the residence of members of the parliament is [open] bullying,” he said. “Police’s torture and arrests of parliamentary members is highly condemnable.”
“The government should come to its senses and detained workers should be freed immediately.”