Lahore’s Shahdara police on Tuesday registered a case against PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, her husband retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, and other party leaders and workers for damaging public order by causing trouble for citizens, blocking roads, unnecessarily using loudspeakers and microphones, and violating coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the run-up to the October 16 rally of the Pakistan Democratic Movement in Gujranwala.
The first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was registered under sections 269, 270, 290, and 291 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, and sections 6 and 16 of the Punjab Sound Systems (Regulation) Act, 2015.
It said that three policemen of the Shahdara police station, Mohammad Imran, Amir Ali, and Sajjad Ahmed, were present at the Begum Kot Chowk when they were informed that PML-N leaders had set up a stage on a trawler to welcome participants of the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s first rally in Gujranwala.
Malik Riaz, Samiullah Khan, and Capt Safdar were present on that stage and they, along with 800 to 900 workers, were chanting slogans against the government and its institutions, the report added.
The policemen said when they reached the site, a caravan of 80 to 90 cars, led by Saleem Butt and Ali Pervez Malik had also arrived. Meanwhile, the main PML-N caravan also reached Shahdara Chowk via the Niazi Shaheed Chowk.
“Malik Riaz, Samiullah Khan, Pervaiz Rashid, Rana Mohammad Iqbal, Rana Mohammad Hayat, Rana Sikandar Hayat, Rana Mubashir Iqbal, Mohammad Zubair, Mirza Javed, Bilal Yasin, Saiful Malook Khokhar, retired Colonel Mubasir and Capt Safdar along with 2,000 to 2,200 party workers were present in Shahdara Chowk in blatant violation of the government’s coronavirus SOPs”, the FIR read.
