LAHORE:
An anti-terrorism court in Lahore issued non-bailable arrest warrants for leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday on charges of sabotage and vandalism during the party’s long march to Islamabad on May 25.
The arrest warrants were issued to former ministers Shafqat Mahmood, Hammad Azhar and Dr Yasmeen Rashid. Other non-bailable warrants have also been issued against PTI leaders Nadeem Bara, Mian Mahmood Al-Rasheed and Ejaz Chaudhry, among others.
The court issued the warrants on the request of Shahdara police station.
On June 9, the Supreme Court was apprised by the law enforcement agencies that a “crowd was organised to enter Red Zone under the PTI leadership who had reached Express Chowk with the intent to proceed further towards D-Chowk as per the directions of the party’s highest command”.
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On June 1, the apex court sought reports from director generals of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) as well as Islamabad IG police, interior secretary and others over the alleged involvement of PTI leaders in instigating party workers to reach Islamabad’s D-Chowk in violation of its May 25 order.
Sources revealed to The Express Tribune that these reports said that party leaders, including Saifullah Niazi and Zartaj Gul, were urging party workers on social media to reach D-Chowk to welcome PTI Chairman Imran Khan. Their videos were also attached with the reports.
The protesters were armed with wooden sticks and they pelted stones at LEAs personnel in order to force their way to the D-Chowk and other places as well. Moreover, the protesters were also using vehicles to run over the police officials deployed on duty who were only yielding batons to stop the protesters. Heavy machinery was also used to remove the containers earlier in the day at various places during the rally.
