April 16, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 9, 1429

RAWALPINDI, April 15: The Punjab government on Tuesday directed all the Regional Police Officers (RPOs) and the City Police Officers (CPOs) of the Province to send details of all the political cases made during last eight years, Dawn has learnt.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N President Mian Shahbaz Sharif on Monday made the announcement that political cases made during last eight years would be withdrawn.

The source said the similar instructions were given to the RPO Nasir Khan Durrani and CPO Rawalpindi Saud Aziz on Tuesday to give the details of all the politically motivated cases registered against political workers and lawyers.

The RPO Rawalpindi Region III, Nasir Khan Durrani confirmed that 19 political cases had been registered with Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal police under section 16 MPO and 188 during the last five years.

In Rawalpindi district the police have been compiling the number of cases as police sources said it could be more than 50 and among the accused were prominent lawyers and political figures.

The source said the police have been asked to provide details of the cases registered against political workers on the eve of arrival of PML-N president Mian Shahbaz Sharif in 2004 in Lahore and the arrival of former Pakistani prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad in 2007.

Former Prime Minister Mian was arrested and deported to Saudi Arabia within hours of returning Islamabad from exile on September 10, 2007. Mr Sharif arrived in Pakistan after the Supreme Court affirmed his right to return.

There had been clashes between police and crowds of Mr Sharif’s supporters in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Attock. It led to the arrests of hundreds of political workers and registration of cases against them.

The police have also been asked to give details of the cases registered against the Pakistan People’s Party workers on the release of Asif Ali Zardari in 2005.

The source said the police have been directed to give the particulars of the cases registered against lawyers during judicial crisis starting from March 9, 2007 and Nov 3, 2007.