OKARA: Police disclosed on Sunday they had registered cases against Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and his 372 supporters, including 77 nominated, in three different police stations in the district under the treason and the Anti-Terrorism Act on Aug 8.

Deepalpur City police registered cases against the PAT leader and his workers on the report of SHO/Sub-Inspector Shahid Bhutta, Deepalpur Saddar police on the report of Sub-Inspector Afzal Jatoi and Basirpur on the report of Sub-Inspector Irfan Rasool.

Police had detained 118 PAT workers in the Central Jail under the 3-MPO. Among the arrested activists were Haji Mushtaq and Qari Mazhar Farid Sial advocate.

Police will present all the arrested activists before courts on Monday (today) to get their physical remand.

GUJRANWALA: Police registered cases against 600 workers of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), including its chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and other leaders, on Sunday on charges of assaulting policemen and injuring over 76 of them, while several workers were arrested.

Two first information reports were lodged at Kamoki Saddar and Gakhar Town police stations under sections 148, 149, 365, 345, 353, 120-B, 324, 211A and 109 of the PPC.

The PAT workers were going to Lahore from Gakhar and Gujranwala. When they reached Sadhoki, police tried to stop them but they attacked the cops with clubs.

About 76 police officers, including City Police Officer Waqas Rizwan, Civil Lines Superintendent of Police Zeeshan Siddique, CIA Staff DSP Rashid Sandhu and other officers, were injured.

Police arrested many of the workers while the remaining returned to their respective cities. Police were conducting raids for the arrest of the remaining.

Meanwhile, one of the injured policemen, Sabzi Mandi investigation in-change ASI Rana Shafique, was shifted to the DHQ Hospital due to his critical condition.

SIALKOT: Police also arrested 23 activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) from the district, according to a party leader.

PTI’s Central Deputy Secretary Umer Dar told the media police were still raiding houses and offices of PTI activists in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur tehsils to arrest them and harassing the activists and their families.

He said the workers had been asked to go underground or shift to undisclosed locations to avoid possible arrests and reach Islamabad to participate in the ‘Azadi March’ on Aug 14, he added.

Meanwhile, Civil Lines police arrested Irfanullah, a store keeper at the district jail, who had illegally provided shelter to his brother Sanaullah in the jail.

Sanaullah was a leader of the PAT from Sambrial tehsil. He had sought shelter in the jail through his brother but could not avert his arrest and was also nabbed.

Police registered a case and sent both brothers behind bars. Further investigations were underway.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2014