FAISALABAD, Dec 10: The district police arrested on Wednesday PML-N MNA Abid Sher Ali on the charge of delivering “provocative speeches” against the government at different meetings and disrupting peace in the district.

The MNA had earlier been booked under section 16 MPO by the Factory Area police, along with his brother Amir Sher Ali, a former FMC mayor, for levelling allegations against the army rulers at a party meeting held at his house in Nazimabad. Both the brothers were, however, granted bails by the local courts.

Mr Ali on Wednesday appeared in the Lahore High Court for the confirmation of his pre-arrest bail, but the police informed the court that he was no more wanted in that case.

A police source told Dawn that the arrest of Mr Ali had been made after the issuance of fresh orders by the provincial home department, which charged him with participating in anti-government activities and delivering provocative speeches.

A police officer, who requested anonymity, described the MNA’s arrest a big success because, as he claimed, the police was under tremendous pressure for tracking him down. The government was facing an uphill task to formally proceed with the mutiny case against PML-N acting chief Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, as Abid Sher Ali was said to be one of the accused in the case.

He had been detained under 3 MPO and would subsequently be handed over to the Islamabad police in mutiny case, he added.

The police officer said the federal interior ministry had directed the local police to arrest Mr Ali after he held a public meeting in Faisalabad in the last week of the previous month.

During the demonstration held on Nov 20 last to protest the arrest of Javed Hashmi, the local police had booked a number of legislators, including Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Qasim Zia and Deputy Opposition Leader Rana Sanaullah Khan

However, the police arrested five of them — Chaudhry Sher Ali, Mian Abdul Mannan, Mian Irfan Ahmad, Ijaz Ahmad Munna and Khalid Saeed Gill.

FOOD SHORTAGE: The country may face shortage of food and shelter if drastic steps are not taken to control population, according to speakers at the annual research conference.

Among the speakers on the second day of the conference were social workers, representatives of NGOs and officials of various government departments, who read out their research papers and reports about the family planning.

They said the government agencies and NGOs had taken measures to control population, but failed to achieve the desired results due to lack of coordination by the public.

The government, they stressed, should take immediate steps and introduce workable policies with the assistance and coordination of NGOs so that the menace could be controlled.

Several scientific sessions family planning and fertility, gender issues in reproductive health, issues of contraceptive use and service delivery, sexual health and HIV/AIDs, were held at second day of the conference.