RAWALPINDI:
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday sent 53 workers of Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) on 10-day physical remand and handed them over to the Airport police Tuesday.
A heavy contingent of Airport police officials including SHO Raja Musaddiq produced the handcuffed PAT workers before ATC-2 and sought their physical remand.
The police rounded up hundreds of PAT workers on charges of torturing cops, damaging public property and an armoured vehicle and smashing windowpanes of vehicles outside Benazir Bhutto International Airport on Monday.
Around 100 policemen were injured in clashes with PAT workers who had gathered to welcome Tahirul Qadri before his plane was diverted to Lahore.
Six of the injured cops were taken to hospitals in critical conditions.
The Airport police also registered a case against PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and 1,300 others on charges of attacking and injuring police officials, snatching their weapons, vests and guns, and damaging property.
At least 15 local PAT leaders and workers were sent to Adiala Jail on judicial remand for 15 days. All local PAT leaders including Ahmed Nawaz Anjum, Muhammad Hanif Mustafvi, Suhail Abbasi, Anwar Khan Gondal and Raja Sajid were arrested from the DCO office after talks between the authorities and PAT workers to change the venue of the protest failed.
The ATC court ordered the police to produce the 53 workers in court on July 4.
The Islamabad police also held over 300 PAT workers on similar charges. Most of them were released later.
An Islamabad police spokesperson said the Koral, Golra, Ramna and Tarnol police arrested PAT workers and produced them in court on Tuesday. He said some of them were sent to Adiala Jail while most were released on bail.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government issued a press release late on Tuesday to announce it would release all PAT workers arrested under the MPO.
However, the cases of workers pending in courts will be decided by the courts.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif issued orders as demanded by Tahirul Qadri through Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar. Sharif also directed the provincial health secretary to provide free medical treatment to the injured PAT workers.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2014.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ