Govt should restrain itself from arresting any popular leader President Alvi.

President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday said the government should 'desist and restrain itself' from arresting any popular leader, saying that it could 'catapult the country into further chaos'.

He made the remarks while speaking to Lahore-based journalists at Governor House, a press release issued by the President's Secretariat said.

Although the president did not name any politician in particular, the comments follow the arrest of PTI's Fawad Chaudhry.

Further, rumours have also circulated regarding the possible arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan. On Wednesday, PTI supporters and leaders camped outside Imran's Zaman Park residence to defend their leader.

The statement issued today quoted the president as saying, 'The government should desist and restrain itself from arresting any popular leader as there is no logic or reason to do so and, if done, it may catapult the country into further chaos and will add to the misery and hardships of the common people.'

He further said that all stakeholders should 'avoid taking any action which had the potential of creating strife and unrest in the country', warning that if such strife resulted in public agitation, it may be difficult to manage.

'No justification for delaying polls'

During the talk, the president said that there was no reason that could justify delaying polls. The president said he had 'full confidence' that the people, the relevant institutions and political parties would ensure elections were conducted within the timeframe specified in the Constitution.

He said that the Constitution was 'supreme and sacred and could not be ignored'. Alvi further said that he would always follow the spirit of the Constitution in all matters, setting aside his personal likes and dislikes.

He said that the objective of a caretaker government was to 'ensure neutrality' so that polls were held in a transparent, fair and just manner by giving all parties a level playing field, stressing that this spirit should be reflected in selecting an interim government.

The president said that it was 'unfortunate' that several results from the recently held local government elections in Sindh were delayed. He...

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