PM takes notice: Five students rounded up for shouting ‘Go Nawaz Go’

Railways minister was addressing crowd when slogans were shouted

LAHORE: At least five students were arrested for shouting slogans against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday at an event where Federal Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique was delivering a speech.

A large number of students of railway educational institutes and players from across the country were present at the event staged at the Garhi Shahu Railways Stadium.

As the railway minister was addressing the audience at the Pakistan Railways’ annual sports event, the students who were present in the crowd started shouting “Go Nawaz Go”.

Police took the students into custody after the minister left the stadium. They were shifted to the police station later.

Pakistan Railways spokesperson denied any disruption in the speech and also refuted the reports of the arrest of any student by the Railways police. He confirmed a few students tried to shout slogans at the end of the minister’s speech but no one was identified.

Later, the prime minister took notice of the incident and ordered the release of the students. Media reports suggested the students had not been released despite clear orders from the prime minister himself.

In 2014, when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf launched the ‘Go Nawaz Go Movement’ over alleged election rigging, similar incidents were reported repeatedly throughout the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd, 2017.