(): Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party on Friday claimed the Pakistani intelligence agencies are openly abducting and harassing candidates backed by it ahead of the February 8 general elections. A spokesperson of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party said that former lawmaker and PTI-backed candidate Khayal Ahmad Kastro from Faisalabad, some 130 kms from here, was allegedly abducted by the personnel from the intelligence agencies.
“Mr Kastro was abducted in full view of camera outside a district court in Faisalabad by plain clothes persons,” the PTI spokesperson said. PTI secretary general Omar Ayub said, Kastro was abducted by unknown people in broad daylight “even after securing bail from the court, which is highly condemnable.”
Beleaguered Khan, the PTI, its leaders, and candidates backed by the party have constantly faced hurdles ahead of the February 8 general elections. The party has lost its election symbol of ‘bat’ and nomination papers of Khan and other prominent leaders have been rejected by the election commission. Khan and many other leaders are in Adiala Jail at Rawalpindi facing multiple cases. After Friday’s alleged abduction, the party claimed that with this kind of situation, the troubles for party-backed candidates are not over despite being contesting independently. “There is no justice or rule of law in Pakistan as the PTI candidate was abducted outside the court. There is no level playing field for the PTI,” he said.