Political rhetoric: Petition against Raja Riaz dismissed

Petition seeking a case against Opposition Leader for allegedly making threats to CM Shahbaz Sharif.

LAHORE: Additional District and Sessions Judge Saeedullah Mughal has dismissed a petition seeking a case against Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz for allegedly making threats to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The Qila Gujjar Singh station house officer appeared before the court on Wednesday and submitted that Riaz’s comments about the chief minister at a press conference a few days ago did not constitute a threat. He said it was a political matter and there was not enough in the application to register a case against the opposition leader. Sheikh Muzaffar Hussain, a PML-N worker, had filed the petition asking the court to direct the SHO to register a case against Riaz. On March 17, the opposition leader had said at a press conference that he would drag the chief minister through the streets of Lahore, including The Mall, if the Pakistan Peoples Party won the elections.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2012.