Pakistan army to probe troops' role in arrest of politician

According to the reports, the police officers in Karachi have threatened to go on mass leave after the Sindh Police chief was allegedly kidnapped and coerced to act against PML (N) Vice President Marayam Nawaz Sharif.

The chief minister added that the government was taking steps to make the police force more stable.

On Tuesday, Sindh IGP, at least two additional inspectors general, seven deputy inspectors general and six senior superintendents of Sindh police made a decision to go on long leave in protest over the Oct 19 siege of Inspector General House that brought the law enforcement agency and security establishment in direct conflict, as PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asked Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to order an institutional probe into the incident.

"The police chief's phones were seized".

"Sindh police has always been a disciplined force which believes in institutional harmony between all key national institutions and has always been cognisant of its responsibility to serve and protect the citizens of this province,"it added".

Safdar was released on bail on Monday and flew back to Lahore with Maryam and other senior PML N leaders, but the PPP which rules the Sindh province while distancing itself from the incident wondered who had ordered the arrest of Safdar.

Shah made these remarks during a meeting with Sindh Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Mahar, additional inspectors general and deputy inspectors general at the Chief Minister's House, a day after the PPP-led government averted one of the worst administrative crises. Minhas in his application submitted to the IGP that during the recent episode of registration of FIR against the PML-N leader, "the high command of the Sindh Police was ridiculed and mishandled, which has left the entire provincial police force demoralized and shocked".

"In such a stressful situation, it is quite hard for me to discharge my duty in a professional manner", AIG Imran has said.

He added that he needed 60-day earned leaves to "come out of the shock and settle down".

The chief minister urged the police chief and other senior officers to inculcate and rejuvenate the same spirit and morale in the lower ranks of the police so that they could continue their services with same dedication.

The officers have reportedly said that if their request is not entertained, they will simply stop showing up to their postings. Authorities say the police initially refused to arrest Safdar.

The department's Twitter activity, which indicated that not all was well within the provincial police, had raised eyebrows.

The sanctity of the Quaid's Mazar is protected by The Quaid-i-Azam's Mazar (Protection and Maintenance) Ordinance, 1971, which explicitly forbids political activities within the premises of the mausoleum.

He addressed tens of thousands of supporters by video link last week at an opposition rally in the city of Gujranwala, alleging that the sitting army chief had conspired to have him ousted and saying he would be held accountable.

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday met with Inspector General of Police (IG) Sindh Mushtaq Mehar and other top Sindh police officials here at IG House, Karachi, ARY News reported.

Shah had also accused PTI lawmakers of a "conspiracy" to pressure police to book the son-in-law of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif and alleged that the complainant of the FIR enjoyed support from the PTI leadership.