Pak opposition slams govt over farmer leader's arrest in Lahore

Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) president Chaudhry Anwar was arrested from his residence on Monday by the Raiwand police, which has led to the opposition claiming that the government was putting pressure on the farmer leader to withdraw a complaint against the police.

The farmers' leader had led a protest around three months ago in the provincial capital, demanding Rs 2,000 per 40 kg wheat support price and Rs 300 per kg for sugarcane, besides a flat power rate of Rs 5 per unit for the farm tubewells, Dawn reported.

However, in the ensuing clash with police, one of the protesters named Ashfaq Langrial had died.

Following the arrest, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has alleged that the police action is aimed at forcing Anwar to withdraw the petition he had earlier filed for registration of a murder case against the police over the protester's death.

"The Punjab government had been pressing Chaudhry Anwar to withdraw his application for registration of the murder case. On his persistent refusal, the Raiwind police arrested him from his residence," Punjab PML-N President Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Monday, reported Dawn.

He further added that the 'puppet' government, which had been claiming to champion the cause of farmers' rights, is now harassing the farmers' leadership through arrests.

Meanwhile, a police source says the PKI president was arrested from Multan by the Raiwind police on a complaint of an overseas Pakist, who alleged he had given Rs 32 million in cash besides some machinery for an agriculture project to the farmer leader.

The complainant had alleged that life threats had been hurled at him when he demanded his money back.

( With inputs from ANI )