The prime suspect in the attack on the Lahore corps commander’s house, Khadija Shah, was presented before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) today. Khadija Shah was transferred to a women's police station after she was arrested on Tuesday. Sources, privy to the case, shared that the fashion designer would be investigated by Superintendent of Police (SP) Anush Masood. A day earlier, the Punjab Police had confirmed her arrest.

Despite her husband and other family members being arrested, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporter did not surrender herself to the authorities even after claiming that she would present herself before them. The Corps Commander House or Jinnah House was attacked on May 9 when PTI stormed and burned it down following party chairman Imran Khan's arrest in the £190m settlement case.

In an over 16 minutes-long audio message released on Sunday, Shah admitted that she was a PTI supporter and was part of the protest outside the Lahore Corps Commander’s House but denied committing any wrongdoing, including inciting people to violence. Shah is the daughter of Dr Salman Shah who was a member of former president Parvez Musharraf’s finance team and had also served as an adviser in the Punjab government during the Usman Buzdar government.

She is also the granddaughter of a former army chief. Her arrest came after a report revealed how efforts to seek relief for the famed fashion designer failed miserably. She had fled when police raided her residence and had been on the run since then. Punjab Interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi had last week announced that the women involved in the May 9 attacks on the military installations would be arrested at all costs.

The army and the federal government have also vowed that all miscreants involved in the attacks on military installations would be tried under the Pakistan Army Act and the Official Secrets Act. Following the attacks, thousands of PTI workers have been rounded up across the country, with several leaders also parting ways with the party over the May 9 mayhem.

In her voice note released Sunday, Khadija Shah said she was going to surrender to the police and admitted her mistake. Shah acknowledged that she had made "inappropriate" tweets against the military leadership in anger and emotion, but now they have been deleted. “I am going to surrender to the police. I have taken this decision because the last five days remained very tough for me,” she said.

“They (authorities) barged into my house at midnight and abducted my husband and father. They roughed up my husband in front of our children... my domestic workers were also subjected to torture,” she claimed. The PTI supporter went on to say she did not violate any law or the country's Constitution, adding that she had participated in many PTI protests during the past year. She also disclosed that she was a dual citizen and trying to get help from the embassy but did not elaborate further in this regard.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP