The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission has reportedly sought assistance of the Federal Govt to arrest Senator Sitara Ayaz of the Awami National Party (ANP).
According to Nasir Durrani, Inspector General (IG) Islamabad, an action inside the lawmakers’ official residential area requires permission from the chairman of the upper house.
IG Islamabad has refused to arrest Sitara without prior permission from Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani. Sitara currently lives in the Parliament Lodges.
Islamabad police have confirmed that they written a letter to the Senate chairman seeking his permission to raid Parliament Lodges to arrest her.
Sitara was social welfare minister in the ANP-led government in KPK between 2008 and 2013. The KPK Ehtesab Commission has accused her of misuse of authority and corrupt practices during her tenure as provincial minister.
The KPK home department informed the federal interior ministry about the arrest warrants issued by the Ehtesab Commission against Sitara. And subsequently, an Ehtesab Commission team approached the capital police to seek their help in the matter.
Sitara has denied corruption allegations against her. Instead she alleged that the Ehtesab Commission was victimising her.
Sitara and her spouse and several other ANP leaders are facing charges of corruption and misuse of powers. They include former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, his adviser Syed Masood Shah, and former education minister Sardar Hussain Babak.