LAHORE: The Punjab government has booked PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif, his son Hamza, former prime minister Khaqan Abbasi and 50 other leaders of the party under terrorism and other charges for “inciting” the crowd to violate law.

PML-N spokesperson Ms Marriyum Aurangzeb, former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq and senior leader Javed Hashmi are also among those booked.

The FIR lodged with Lohari police station accuses Shahbaz and former MNA Hamza of pelting the law enforcement agencies officials with stones allegedly with an intention to kill them and hurling life threats.

Cases also against Hamza, Hashmi

The main allegations against the PML-N leaders include damaging public buildings and properties, hurling threats and injuring the law enforcement agencies officials.

They were also accused of interfering in the official work, violating Section 144 of PPC and the code of conduct issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the candidates, besides holding illegal assemblies and rallies.

Lahore police operations wing DIG Shahzad Akbar confirmed to Dawn that a total of 12 FIRs had been lodged against the suspects, including the former prime minister and former Punjab chief minister.

Of them, he said, three each were registered in Civil Lines and Cantonment divisions and two each in City, Saddar and Iqbal Town divisions. All the FIRs carried terrorism charges against the PML-N senior leadership and workers, he added.

“The suspects attacked the police personnel who were present there to provide them security, injured our 20 cops, four Rangers personnel, damaged public property and hurled serious threats at the officials of the law enforcement agencies”, the DIG said.

Denying the allegations of abuse of powers, Mr Shahzad said, the police remained largely on defence line when the suspects, who were equipped with clubs, attacked them in groups at various places in the city.

In an FIR registered with Lohari police station, the government nominated Shahbaz Sharif, his son Hamza and Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, besides 16 other senior leaders, including some former federal ministers. They included Saira Afzal Tarrar, Azma Bukhari, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Raja Zafarul Haq, Kamran Michael, former lord mayor retired Col Mubashir, Bilal Yasin, Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman, Javed Hashmi, Talal Chaudhry, Waheed Alam Khan, etc.

Besides terrorism charges, the police also included 10 sections of the PPC in the FIRs, including section 324, for injuring the policemen.

As per the FIR, these suspects resorted to violence and damaged the containers placed on the road by the law enforcement agencies. It says Mr Shahbaz Sharif and his son Hamza while leading the rallies hurled serious threats at the policemen and other government employees when they tried to stop them.

In Sherakot police station, the FIR was lodged against PML-N leader Rana Mashhood Ahmad, his brother Rana Asad Ahmad and 15 local leaders of the party, besides 150 unidentified men.

An FIR was also lodged with Nawab Town police station against the party leaders including Saifullah Khokhar, Malik Shafi Khokhar, Malik Afzal Khokhar, Irfan Khokhar and 500 party workers and supporters.

Township police nominated 19 party leaders, including PML-N candidate for NA-133 Pervez Malik, besides 250 party workers for damaging public properties and taking out a rally without seeking permission from the relevant authorities.

The PML-N former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa MNA Amir Muqam, ex-MPAs from Punjab Yasin Sohal, Mian Naseer and many other leaders were booked by the South Cantonment police, besides over 200 party workers.

FAISALABAD: Hundreds of workers and leaders of the PML-N, including former law minister Rana Sanaullah and ex-state minister for textile industry Akram Ansari, were booked on charges of clashing with police, threatening them and violating Section 144.

Cases were registered with nine police stations including Sahianwala, Chak Jhumra, Nishatabad, Samanabad, Civil Lines, Raza Abad, Ghulam Mohammadabad, Mansoorabad and Sargodha Road, under 16-MPO and sections 186, 188, 341 and 353 of the PPC with no arrest.

Those booked also included PML-N local leader and former vice-chairman of the Faisalabad Water and Sanitation Agency Mian Irfan Mannan, Hamid Rasheed, Munne Khan, Ahsan Afzal (son of former MNA Rana Afzal), former MPAs Faqir Hussain Dogar, Malik Mohammad Nawaz and Azaad Ali Tabassum.

Some union council chairmen were also booked by the police.

The police also impounded the vehicles left on roads by the drivers to avoid arrest.

Similarly, Sahianwala police also booked Mian Irfan Mannan and more than 130 others under 16-MPO, and various sections of the PPC with no arrest.

Police said the suspects had been warned of threats to the life of political leadership and violation of election code of conduct, but they ignored such warnings.

SAHIWAL: All arrested workers and office-bearers of the PML-N were granted bails, while four ex-parliamentarian of the party secured interim bails from the court of Civil Judge Ijaz Ahmed.

As many as 50 office-bearers, ex-parliamentarians and activists were booked by Ghala Mandi police under 16 MPO and PPC’s sections 506, 186, 341, 147, 148 and 149 on Friday night for creating law and order situation.

Those booked included Malik Nadeem Kamran, Malik Arshad, Pir Imran Shah, Tufail Jutt, the PML-N candidates for PP-197, PP-198, NA-147 and NA-149, respectively.

Party’s district secretary general Rao Nazir Farid was also arrested, along with 36 workers during the Friday crackdown.

The Ghala Mandi police could not arrest any of the PML-N parliamentarians and candidates against whom cases were registered.

As per police sources, PML-N candidate Tufail Jutt, after being injured in baton charge returned to Chichawatni, while Malik Arshad, Nadeem Kamran and Pir Imran Shah managed to escape and reached Lahore to join party rallies there.

The police, however, arrested Rao Nazir Farid and 36 others and kept them in the lock-up.

Mr Faird later confirmed that all the arrested party workers and office-bearers were granted bails.

(Muhammad Saleem from Faisalabad and Shafiq Butt from Sahiwal also contributed)

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2018