Arrest warrants issued for former Senate chairman after policeman assault

Nayyer Bokhari had resisted the head constable's attempt to frisk him at the entrance of district courts

ISLAMABAD: A court in Islamabad issued on Thursday arrest warrants for Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, a former chairman Senate, for assaulting and intimidating an on-duty police officer.

Judicial Magistrate Islamabad (west) Jawad Hussain Adil issued the arrest warrants.

On Wednesday, a case against Bokhari and another person accompanying him was registered with Margalla police after he hurled verbal abuse at the personnel.

A police officer, requesting anonymity, said the man who had slapped the official and was initially believed to be Bokhari's security guard was his son, identified as Jarar Hussain Bokhari.



Head constable Muhammad Riaz of the special branch had attempted to stop the former Senate chairman and frisk him at a walk-through gate near the entrance of district courts at F-8 Markaz of the federal capital.

On Thursday, Margalla SHO Asjad Mehmood appeared before the magistrate and obtained arrest warrants for Bokhari, who is also a leader of the Pakistan People’s Party.

Under the charges, Bokhari and the person accompanying him had assaulted and obstructed a public servant in discharging his duties and engaged in criminal intimidation, a non-bailable offence under the Pakistan Penal Code.

Lawyers rally behind Bokhari

After the incident on Wednesday, lawyers rallied behind the former Senate chairman, who is not only a member of the district bar but was also elected its president thrice.

President Islamabad Bar Association Syed Mohammad Tayyab claimed Bokhari had apologised to the policeman, adding the incident was unintentional and happened due to misunderstanding.



On the contrary, other lawyers as well as policemen condemned Bokhari for insulting a police official and welcomed registration of an FIR.

Victim cop transferred

Meanwhile, Muhammad Riaz, the special branch official at the centre of the controversy, was assigned another duty and relocated from the district court.

Bokhari was not available for a comment despite repeated attempts to contact him at his mobile and landline numbers.

Security was tightened at the F-8 district courts with increased police deployment after a suicide bomb at F-8 district courts on March 3, 2014 killed 11, including a judge, and injured 25 others.