By NAMO PHIRI
THE Patriotic Front (PF) has claimed that it has information that a number of its members would be arrested before the end of the week in connection with gassing which case has seen Christopher Zumani Zimba remain incarcerated for the last three week.
Given Lubinda has named those allegedly to be arrested before the end of the week as Stephen Kampyongo, the former Home Affairs Minister, Davis Chama, the former Minister of Defence, Damwila, the former secretary general of the PF and Chanda Kabwe the former Disaster Mnagement and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) Coordinator.And Mr Lubinda fears no Zambian is safe because according to him, after the police has exhausted arresting the PF members and leaders, the next target shall be the ordinary citizens. Mr Lubinda said the PF has information to the effect that all those who had held government positions with the responbility of dispensing justice at the time President Hakainde Hichilema, in position was arrested for treason were earmarked for arrests because it was payback time for the new dawn administration.Mr Lubinda, the PF vice-president said it would not be surprising to see Mr Kampyongo, Mr Chama, Mr Mwila and Mr Chanda getting arrested on tramped up charges of gassing because these were the people holding offices linked to the dispensation of justice in the country.He said there is a perception that Mr Kampyongo, Mr Chama and Mr Mwila could have given instructions to the law enforcement agencies to arrest President Hichilema and condemn him to Mukobeko Prison where he had to spend 127 days.“I have no doubt that people who were in any way seen to have been involved in the arrest of President Hichilema will all be arrested because the system under the UPND is operating on the basis of vengeance. It will therefore not be surprising to see Mr Kampyongo getting arrested because he was at the time Home Affairs Minister. It will not be surprising to see Mr Chama and Mr Mwila getting arrested because the two were at the time Minister of Defence and secretary general of the PF respectively.It was not surprising that Mumbi Phiri as deputy secretary general was arreasted and it shall not be surprising to see Given Lubinda being arrested because he was the Minister of Justice when President Hichilema was arrested from his Community House,” Mr Lubinda said.Mr Lubinda said the PF was fully aware of the plans by the UPND to arrest and jail as many of the PF members as possible because the governing party was allegedly determined too exterminate and annihilate the former ruling party. Mr Lubinda said he had spoken about the impending arrest of the many PF members both internally and publicly because there was authentic information to the effect that the governing party was planning to kill the PF.
“There are people who will be arrested for tramped up corruption charges and there are PF members who will be arrested for leaking government documents ostensibly leaked by government officials. There are those who will be arrested for merely passing information on social media as long as they have PF membership. The issue of gassing was not concluded and the UPND is using it to arrest all and sundry as long as they are linked to the PF,” Mr Lubinda said. Mr Lubinda has advised the UPND government against taking action against citizens out of the desire to satisfy vengeance because that would only signify a breakdown in the rule of law.“Do not punish citizens because you think you were wrongly treated. The rule of law should ne blind to how one was punished,” Mr Lubinda said.