Pashtun leader Ali Wazir released from jail after over two years

Karachi, Feb 14 (IANS) More than two years after his arrest, member of Pakistan's National Assembly (MNA) and leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Ali Wazir, was released from the Central Jail in Karachi on Tuesday, media reports said.

Wazir was arrested in December 2020 for allegedly inciting hate against state institutions, delivering provocative speeches, and treason, The News reported.

He was arrested from Peshawar and shifted to Karachi, the report said.

Wazir, along with some other party leaders, was booked in four identical cases registered at Sohrab Goth, Shah Latif Town, and Boat Basin police stations under sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) pertaining to the said charges.

Four cases were registered against Wazir in different police stations in Karachi, according to the police. He was charged with different counts, including sedition and rioting, The News reported.

Out of the four cases, Wazir has been acquitted in one case and has secured bail in rest of the three cases, confirmed his counsel.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a total of 14 cases were registered against the PTM leader. The Peshawar High Court barred the police from arresting him in 11 cases, while he was granted bail in three cases, said his counsel.

Many Twitter users also lauded Wazir's unflinching refusal to apologise, and his steadfastness in his stance over the two years of his incarceration, The News reported.

One user tweeted: "Ali Wazir is finally released. 'They said that I should apologise but let me tell them that my body and flesh will melt and my bones will be buried but I will never apologise' - his words last year outside the parliament. He kept his word. He won. Ego lost. Here's to freedom!"