Unknown assailants abducted Khayal Ahmad Kastro, former Punjab provincial minister and election candidate of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), outside a local court in Pakistan. The incident took place on a Friday where Kastro had arrived seeking bail for a case dated May 9 according to video released by PTI.
The video footage appears to reveal several men forcibly placing Kastro into a vehicle, with one man visibly armed with a rifle. The group then transported him to an undisclosed location. Omar Ayub Khan, PTI Secretary General and ex federal minister, strongly condemned the incident, voicing his concerns about the lack of justice and rule of law in Pakistan.
Kastro is independently running in the 2024 general elections, with support from PTI, representing PP-118 Faisalabad. On May 9, 2023, Pakistan police arrested Kastro due to several active investigations into alleged abuse of power, corruption, and contractual scams, as reported. The allegations were registered under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960.
It is noteworthy that PTI is led by former prime minister Imran Khan, who was arrested outside the Islamabad courts in May 2023, sparking protests. The party’s vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also detained three months later. Khan claimed these acts as parts of the “London Plan” from the ruling government to suppress his party. Though Khan was granted bail by the Pakistan Supreme Court in December, PTI’s election symbol was withheld by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), a decision that was upheld by the supreme court.
This is not the only case of disturbance against PTI candidates in the run-up to the 2024 general election. On January 13, Barrister Waseem Baduzi, a previous MPA and PTI election candidate from Multan PP-214, was also reportedly abducted by unknown persons after reaching the returning officer’s office in Multan for ticket submission.