April 28, 2026
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
Police have registered a fourth First Information Report (FIR) against incarcerated former Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Ali Wazir, this time allegedly accusing him of carrying a Kalashnikov and committing a robbery in Shikarpur — claims his counsel has called deeply implausible.
Advocate Imdad Hyder Solangi, Wazir’s legal representative, told Voicepk on Tuesday that the latest case was filed at the behest of state institutions. “The allegation raises serious questions and appears deeply implausible. This pattern of actions is profoundly troubling,” he said.
“An elected Member of the National Assembly, whose detention was declared unlawful by the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad Bench, and who was ordered to be released on March 10, 2026, was re-arrested on March 16, 2026 — within hours of his release. Since then, multiple FIRs have been filed against him, and now reportedly a fourth case,” Solangi told Voicepk.
Court appearance under heavy security
Also on Tuesday, Wazir was produced under strict security arrangements before the court of District and Sessions Judge Dadu, Mr. Zahid Hussain Metlo, in connection with Sessions Case No. 150/2026. The case arises from FIR No. 40/2026, registered under Sections 324, 341, 353, 186, and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code at Police Station B Section Dadu.
The proceedings were scheduled for the framing of charges; however, due to the session judge being on leave, the matter was adjourned to May 5, 2026.
Wazir was brought to court in handcuffs, escorted by heavy security personnel. A number of his political supporters and workers had gathered at the premises and, despite the restrictions, Wazir briefly acknowledged their presence by waving his handcuffed hands — a moment that drew emotional responses from the crowd.
SHC dismisses Constitutional Petition
Solangi further informed that the Sindh High Court’s Circuit Court at Hyderabad, through its order dated April 22, 2026, dismissed a constitutional petition filed on Wazir’s behalf. The court observed that challans — formal charge sheets — had already been submitted before the competent trial courts in all the FIRs in question, and consequently held that it lacked jurisdiction to interfere in matters now falling within the trial courts’ domain, including the quashment of FIRs.
The High Court further noted that such issues pertained to the merits of the case, to be adjudicated by the trial court upon the recording of evidence. Wazir’s legal team was accordingly directed to seek appropriate relief before the trial court — including through an application under Section 265-K of the Code of Criminal Procedure for acquittal, if so advised.
Wazir in custody since March 16
Wazir has remained in custody since March 16 — the same day the Sindh High Court ordered his release from Sukkur Central Jail. According to his legal team, he was returning home with family and associates that evening when a large contingent of police and plainclothes law enforcement personnel arrived in government vehicles and forcibly detained him. Mobile phones were seized, those present were assaulted, and family members were allegedly warned against approaching any court.
His whereabouts remained unknown for two days. A habeas corpus petition was filed before the District Judge Sukkur on March 18, followed by a constitutional petition before the SHC the following day. Wazir was eventually produced before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Naushahro Feroze on March 19 and sent to Dadu Jail on judicial remand. He has since been implicated in three FIRs — and now a reported fourth — that his legal team describes as “false, bogus, and fabricated.”
Wazir, a Pashtun rights leader and former legislator, has been recognised by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience. His counsel maintains that the mounting cases against him represent a pattern of conduct that raises serious concerns about due process and the rule of law — and risks undermining public confidence in Pakistan’s constitutional and legal institutions.