Jamshed Dasti, a former Pakistan MP and a member of Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, has accused the security agencies of sexual misconduct and torture against his family members.
On January 1, Dasti claimed that the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) orchestrated a violent raid on his home in the city of Muzaffargarh in the Punjab, during which his family, notably his wife, was subjected to harrowing treatment including being “stripped naked.”
The controversial allegations surfaced in a video on PTI’s official social media, sparking concerns about the security agencies’ actions and the infringement on the sanctity of the home and women’s dignity in Pakistan.
A visibly shaken Dasti is heard lamenting in the video: “Unbelievable cruelty has been committed against me. The only sin that I’ve committed is supporting Imran Khan. My dignity has been violated. I never imagined that someone like me would be subjected to such cruelty.”
Dasti, who is currently facing a case with the Muzaffargarh Saddar police for allegedly evading multiple arrest attempts, appealed directly to the Chief Justice of Pakistan in the footage, expressing readiness to face any consequence, even “death.”
In response to the astonishing allegations, a Station House Officer, Muzaffargarh Khurram Riaz, issued a video statement rejecting all of Dasti’s claims, saying they were “baseless” and nothing more than “lies”.
“Neither was Jamshed Dasti’s house raided nor was his family manhandled,” the police officer said. Officer Riaz added that Dasti was trying to spread “fear and chaos” in his community, claiming that the former parliamentarian has a history of creating fear through such videos.
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Further accustions Desti has made against the Pakistani intelligence and CTD officials include raids and harassment of his friends and their properties.
Dasti concluded the video with a commitment to living and dying in Pakistan, expressing indifference towards the election outcome. He called for an end to the perceived injustice that he believed was putting the nation at risk.
Dasti’s wife, also a PTI member, had recently filed nomination papers for his candidacy in the upcoming elections.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, who served as the country’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022.
Amid a constitutional crisis, Khan became the first prime minister to be removed from office through a no-confidence motion held in April 2022.
In August 2022, he was charged under anti-terror laws after accusing the police and judiciary of detaining and torturing an aide.
Later that year in November, Khan survived an assassination attempt during a political rally in Wazirabad, Punjab.
On May 9, 2023, Khan was arrested on corruption charges at the Islamabad High Court by paramilitary troops who smashed their way into the courthouse.
Protests broke out throughout Pakistan resulting in the arrest of several thousands of Khan’s supporters along with military installations being ransacked.
The former PM Khan remains incarcerated in connection with a diplomatic cypher case where he stands accused of leaking state secrets and violating the Official Secrets Act.
This accusation has been denied by Khan and his supporters who believe the allegations are being used to keep Khan’s PTI party from power.
