PML-N leaders move IHC for protective bails in PA rioting case

Tarar, others request IHC to stop Punjab police from arresting them in 'false and baseless' case

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, against whom non-bailable arrest warrants were issued a day earlier, approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday to seek protective bails.

The 12 PML-N leaders have been nominated in FIRs registered by the Punjab government in the the assembly rioting case.

Special assistant to the prime minister Attaullah Tarar, and other PML-N members including Rana Mashood, Raja Sagheer and other provincial ministers are among those nominated in the FIR.

The state and the in-charge of the Qila Gujjar Singh police station, where the case against the PML-N members was registered, were made parties to the petition filed with the IHC.

The leaders have requested the IHC to grant security bonds and stop the Punjab police from arresting the PML-N members. They maintained that a “false and baseless” case has been registered against them.

Furthermore, PML-N leader Rana Mashood stated that when the election for Punjab Assembly speaker was held, the protest was regarding the lack of secrecy during the ballot.

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“After our protest, the polling should have stopped and the mistake should have been accepted. However, the opposition demonstrated hooliganism and bigotry, and continued with the election,” Mashood said.

He maintained that the election had been challenged in the high court and was confident that the decision would be in his party’s favour.

A day earlier, a Lahore court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 12 PML-N leaders.

Police officials sought permission from the court to arrest Attaullah Tarar, Bilal Farooq Tarar, Saiful Malook Khokhar, Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Laghari, Mirza Jawed, Pir Khizer Hayat, Raja Sagheer Ahmed, Abdul Rauf, Pir Ashraf Rasool, Bilal Farooq, and Rana Mannan Khan.

Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Mudasir Hayat accepted the request and issued the required non-bailable arrest warrants.

Police officials said a case was registered against the PML-N leaders for which they "deliberately did not appear" and said the arrests have been sought for completion of the investigation.