Former AJK Prime Minister Abdul Qayyum Niazi Arrested Under Public Order Law Amid Political Tensions
BHIMBER, August 3 — Former Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, was arrested Sunday in the Bhimber area under Pakistan’s Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO), authorities confirmed.
Niazi, who stepped down from office in 2022 amid internal power struggles within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was detained under Section 16 of the MPO — a clause pertaining to the dissemination of rumors that may disrupt public peace.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Mirpur, Dr. Liaqat Ali, told Dawn.com that the arrest was ordered by the Mirpur deputy commissioner. Niazi is currently being held at a guest house in Mirpur’s industrial zone, temporarily declared a sub-jail.
The arrest came as Niazi was en route from Samahni to Bhimber to attend a PTI rally demanding the release of jailed party founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Police sources said plainclothes officers from Islamabad attempted to take Niazi into federal custody based on a separate first information report (FIR), but local officials declined to hand him over.
The FIR, filed at Islamabad’s Karachi Company police station, accuses Niazi of a range of offenses, including abetment, unlawful assembly, obstruction of public servants, criminal intimidation, and even dacoity — under sections of both the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act.
His nephew, Sardar Moteeb, said Niazi had been granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on July 13, with the relief extended until August 17. Despite this, he was apprehended while heading to the protest.
Niazi’s press secretary, who was present at the time, alleged that police confiscated Niazi’s phone during the arrest. Two other PTI members, Malik Nisar and Dr. Shahnawaz from Kotli district, were also detained.
The arrest has intensified political tensions in AJK, with PTI leaders denouncing the move as a crackdown on dissent and peaceful assembly.
