DADU, Oct 27: The personal assistant to MNA Dr Talat Hussain Mahesar was arrested on Wednesday evening on charges of attacking a Nadra registration centre in Mehar town, injuring staff and snatching away tokens of registration for Watan cards and cash.

According to eyewitnesses, the PA Anis Mahisar arrived at the Nadra registration centre on the Bettto road and announced to the staff that the MNA had sent him to get 15 tokens but the in-charge of the centre asked him to stand in queue with other flood-affected people and wait for his turn to get the tokens.

Mr Anis went back and came back later with 15 men armed with clubs and weapons, held the staff hostage, injured van in-charge Fareed Mangi, database operator Waheed Ahmed, driver Asif Bhurgari, guard Tarique Mangsi and a flood-affected woman Ms Hameedha Panhwar who had come to have her identity card prepared.

They robbed 15 tokens of the cards, snatched Rs20,000 cash and escaped.

Following the incident, the Nadra staff briefly stopped work in protest and resumed it after General Manager of Nadra for Sukkur region Khalid Khan and SPO Mehar Bashir Ahmed Mangi arrived there and assured them of deploying policemen at the centre and registering case against Mr Anis.

Police later lodged an FIR on a complaint lodged by Nadra van in-charge Fareed Mangi against Mr Anis and six unknown people on charges of attacking Nadra office, holding the staff hostage and looting tokens and money. Mr Anis was arrested afterwards.

Nadra Sukkur region General Manager Khalid Khan told journalists that it was responsibility of the district administration to provide security to Nadra staff and the the administration had assured him that it would provide security and take action against those involved in the attack.

MNA Dr Talat Hussain Mahisar apologised to Mr Khalid Husain on telephone and denied that Mr Anis was his PA and even refused to recognize him.

But, in-charge of Nadra van Fareed Mangi told journalists that he knew for sure that Mr Anis was PA to MNA Dr Talat Mahesar. When Mr Anis was busy ransacking the office and attacking employees, he was receiving directions on telephone from the MNA, he alleged.