Punjab Police arrest 198 PML-N workers for holding rally to welcome Nawaz Sharif

At least 198 PML-N workers had cases filed against them in Sialkot and Daska on Tuesday, for taking out a rally to welcome convicted former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Sharif when they returned from London on 13 July. Around 175 of the 198 workers were booked under Sections 188, 290, and 291 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), according to a report in Pakistan Observer. The Sialkot Saddar police booked them based on the report filed by Sub-Inspector Maqsood Ahmed. [caption id=“attachment_4768991” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of former Pakistani prime minister Nwawz Sharif and daughter Maryam Sharif. Twitter@MaryamNSharif[/caption] The Daska Saddar police also registered cases against 23 PML-N workers including Rana Raza, Hashim Butt, and Naeem Butt who is the PML-N general secretary in Daska for conducting a rally on the Daska-Sialkot Road. Police said that the PML-N workers against whom cases were registered, indulged in hate speech against law enforcement agencies when they were halted in a bid to maintain the law and order situation in the area, Dawn reported. No arrests have been made with respect to either of these FIRs, but an investigation in the matter is underway. The Rangpura police also registered a case separately against five suspects, including two local Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders Mehar Kashif and Sheikh Kamran for the use of fireworks at Sialkot’s Jinnah Stadium upon the arrival of PTI chairman Imran Khan, who was there to address a public meeting on the night of 15 July. A case was registered under sections 188, 285 and 286 of the PPC on the report of Assistant Sub-Inspector Sarwar Ali Mudassar. Police said that the display of fireworks was in violation of the official ban imposed by the Punjab government. The case is being investigated. Days before Nawaz’s return and subsequent arrest, there were reports of a number of PML-N workers being arrested by the Punjab police. On the day Sharif returned, police admitted to the arrest of at least 378 people in Punjab, the Dawn report said.