Police contemplate netting rioters

Officials allege lack of cooperation by Punjab PA secretariat

LAHORE:

The police high-ups, after identification of some of the persons who had assaulted officials in the Punjab Assembly chambers, have reportedly held detailed discussions on whether or not lawmakers may be arrested over the incident.

However, some police officers complained that the assembly secretariat officials were not cooperating to help reach those who breached the law on the day when the chief minister’s election was scheduled.

Police sources claimed that the Punjab Assembly secretariat appeared reluctant to provide substantial evidence despite several requests. The police wanted to investigate the matter from different angles but the PA officials were not allowing them to go into the details of the incidents.

The evidence available with the investigators showed that unknown persons came into the assembly and assaulted police officials. Some MPAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) also thrashed police officials who had been deployed to maintain order on the occasion.

An officer told The Express Tribune that the police wanted to arrest the lawmakers involved in violating the law. He said discussions in this regard had been completed and the legal aspects reviewed in detail.

He said the police authorities had decided to arrest every person who took the law into his own hands in Punjab Assembly on April 16.

The PA secretariat not only did not cooperate on the election day but still seemed reluctant to provide essential evidence to the police, he alleged.

The sources said the lawmakers identified by the police as being involved in the melee included PTI’s Fayazul Hassan Chohan, Rana Shahzad, Umar Tanveer, Mahinder Pall Singh, Khayal Ahmad Kastro, Nawabzada Waseem, Abida Bibi, Waqas Qayum Abasi, Momina Waheed and Shahida Ahmad.

They said the police had got evidence showing the identified and other MPAs thrashing cops.

The sources said the unanswered questions related to the incidents included why the young public representatives assaulting the police personnel were not stopped by their senior leaders, including women lawmakers who pulled the hairs of some officials near the chair of the assembly speaker.

They said it also needed to be ascertained who had allowed lawmakers to enter the assembly carrying ‘lottas’ and why the staff members were reluctant to cooperate with the police.

Lawmakers had scuffled in the assembly chambers on April 16, causing suspension of the house proceedings for several hours.

The melee started when acting speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari arrived to preside over voting for the chief minister’s slot. Some members started thrashing him and pulled his hairs.

The assembly’s security officials were also attacked.

Later, more security personnel were summoned, but the lawmakers thrashed them also.

In the third attempt, police officials succeeded in entering the assembly chambers despite being badly beaten up. Some police officials also manhandled MPAs of the PTI and PML-Q.

Finally, the police took control of the house but the situation worsened when the personnel started trying to oust from the hall those MPAs who were disturbing the assembly proceedings.

As the policemen were taking Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi outside the assembly chambers, PTI lawmakers badly thrashed them. However, the police took him out of the assembly hall.

As the police officials tried to take control of the officials’ and visitors’ galleries, they were again beaten up by the lawmakers.

Afterwards, the police registered an FIR against unidentified persons on charges of physically assaulting the personnel. The assembly secretariat was then contacted for assistance in collection of evidence and identifying those responsible for the incidents, but in vain, the officials said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2022.