Threats to Sheikh Rashid: Police say no evidence found

Malik Noor Awan was arrested after he stopped Sheikh Rashid at the parliament entrance and demanded Rs2.2 million

ISLAMABAD: Police have found no evidence that the man who had restrained MNA Sheikh Rahid Ahmed outside the Parliament on Thursday also threatened him. Malik Noor Awan had been arrested by the police after he stopped Ahmed at the parliament entrance and demanded Rs2.2 million which he claimed Rashid owed him for many years.

Awan, who claimed to be president of the PML-N in Japan, said that Rashid owed him the amount from an auto deal in Japan many years ago. Secretariat police had booked Awan for allegedly threatening and restraining Rashid on the latter’s complaint.



He was engaged in an argument with Rashid as soon as he came out of the National Assembly and demanded payment of the amount. A number of people including journalists gathered at the scene and recorded the incident on their mobile phones and cameras.

As the confrontation intensified, Rashid was helped by a man at the scene to walk back inside the Parliament grounds as Awan continued his demands.

According to the PML-N worker, he had been demanding the AML chief to return his money through various sources and even filed a police case, but to no avail. Awan went on to add that he had even received threats from Rashid for demanding his money.

Subsequently, Rashid approached the Secretariat police, to book a case regarding the “attack on him outside Parliament,” which was followed by Awan’s arrest.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2017.