The Secretariat police on Friday booked Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, grandson of the late Nawab Akbar Bugti, along with five officials of the Punjab police in his security protocol, for thrashing and giving life threats to two journalists at a local hotel on Thursday.
Bugti, also chief of the Balochistan chapter of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), was in Islamabad on Thursday meeting a US embassy political counsellor, Jonathan Prett, at the hotel. The meeting was captured on cell phone cameras by two reporters of a news channel which the young Bugti did not particularly like.
He unleashed his security guards at the journalists, and they were quickly rounded up and thrashed. Bugti’s security guards also seized their cell phones. However, one of them managed to escape from the guards’ custody and informed his colleagues.
A case under sections 379 and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered against Bugti on the complaint of Shahid Ali Rana, the first of the two reporters who received the beating. However, the police believe the charges against Bugti are minor.
“These are minor charges which include carelessness and imparting threats to someone and normally the suspects get bailed out on the first appearance in the court,” said a police official. He said five of Bugti’s security guards, the officials of Elite Police from Punjab, who were taken into custody by the police, were also booked.
A police official said Bugti’s security guards were all in plain clothes at the time of the incident, however, five of them appeared in the uniform of Punjab Police later when the incident came to the notice of the hotel management and the news organisation. It was not clear how the Punjab police officials got into his personal security protocol and why they were not wearing uniforms initially.
“His (Bugti’s) guards thrashed me multiple times, and he himself threatened me with dire consequences if I would not hand over the cell phone,” said one of the two journalists.
The Secretariat police intervened after the news channel’s management asked them to take action and get the reporters released from the custody of Bugti’s guards at the hotel.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2012.
COMMENTS (13)
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@sab:
Good call - I wonder who, if anyone, will beat the liberal drum on CNN over this one...
H
@ sab you are absolutely wrong. find me one post anywhere, any liberal advocating for this man? no liberal or even right winger in pakistan advocates for this man or any other big wadera they advocate for a peaceful Balochistan, free from extra judicial kidnappings and killings.
@Arif: Really! Never heard of this argument.
dear bugti, we, all of Pakistanies are with you in this time of chaos and confusion. we have all come to know that we can only live together and not separately, the outside powers play with us. we are just like that child who, when given a candy by hostile neighbours break his own house window and when turns around for second candy sees no one standing there. Then he faces the music of his actions from elders of the house. Just remember that whenever foreign powers get angry with the govt, they use balouchi people as leverage against govt of Pakistan. When they get what they want you people look back and find no body behind you. But who is sufferer since 60 years, only baloch people and they suffer because of handful of misguided balochies. PLEASE! try to understand that once sikhs of india tried to get Independence, at least 10000 of them were killed and INDIA quashed the separatist movement. WHERE you can go after independence, no body will let you near ARABIAN SEA from where worlds 40% oil passes. Iranies and AFHANIES are very Ruthless people they will not placate you like Pakistan. Further more you don't have water which is essential for economy of a country. So dear, just calm down and press your MPAs,MNAs and separatist leaders to talk for your rights( they are eating your share while sitting abroad). WE all Pakistanies will support your cause!!! REMEMBER no INDIAN, AMERICAN and EUROPEAN can be sincere to you, WHY THEY BE????????
@Ch. Usman Ali: Indians are harping now about Balochistan being a similar issue to Kashmir. Unless human rights violations stop there Pakistan will not have a leg to stand on regarding the Kashmir issue. I fear for the future of Balochistan. Maybe it is too little too late.
Uh Oh liberals! This guy was your main face for a free Baluchistan?
traitors are so protected in this country and poor has no value shame on this democracy and our leaders and this nation .
This Son of Bugti again. He thinks and matter of fact he is right, he does own the illusive system in Pakistan. What could the Interior Ministry do to him when he was caught with a cache of arms fill for a regiment in Quetta smuggling from Afghanistan. Mr. N was the first to call the authorities to quash the case as he is just a "bacha" (baby of Kaka as he said). Unfortunately this shows the dark side of our rule of law, where we have a different yard stick for the rich and a different one for the poor and the opperessed.
how pathetic... misuse of power yet again..
Its clear that Punjab government backing this anti Pakistan and US embassy political counsellor, Jonathan Prett meeting him secretly it means there was some deals going on between him and USA. Shahzain Bugti should be jailed.
if punajb police didn't protect him and he was harassed by people,then the whole media would say that look injustice is being done to the baloch in punjab and the punjab govt. doesn't provide him protection.