Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that PTI Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee had been taken into protective custody in the foreign funding case. Addressing a press conference, he said that Senator Saifullah Nyazee had not been appearing for investigation in foreign funding case and now he had been taken into protective custody so that he could be formally questioned. He said legal procedure would be followed for the arrest of PTI Senator if required at a later stage. He said that PTI member Hamid Zaman had been also taken into protective custody in this foreign funding case. Reportedly, the senator was taken into custody on charges of running an ‘unauthorized’ website, which was being used for illegal fundraising. Senior PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain also turned to Twitter and commented on Niazi’s reported arrest, “After Shehbaz Sharif’s press conference and the subsequent arrests of Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman and Saif Niazi, it is clear that the government is panicking and is scared after the announcement of ‘Azadi March’.”
However, the FIA rejected reports regarding Niazi’s arrest and claimed they got to know through the media as well. Earlier, the agency had raided Niazi’s house and seized his laptop and mobile phone as well. Founding member of PTI Hamid Zaman was also arrested by the FIA on Friday in the foreign funding case. According to a private TV channel, Zaman was taken into custody from his office on Waris Road in Lahore.
