LAHORE, May 23: The Punjab government has also included the cases registered against lawyers during their movement for the restoration and independence of the judiciary onto the list of political cases, which it wants to withdraw, Dawn has learned.

According to official sources on Friday, a high-level committee consisting of senior officers of the Special Branch, IG’s office and the Home Department was examining the cases registered on political grounds since 1999 on an individual basis.

The list also included the cases registered against political activists and lawyers during the judges’ reinstatement movement, they said and added the aim was to withdraw cases registered on political grounds irrespective of party affiliation of the persons involved. The exercise did not aim at giving relief to PML-N leaders and activists alone, they said.

The number of such cases registered apparently on political grounds was around 700 and majority of them were registered under Section 16 of Maintenance of Public Order, they said and added that the fact whether they were actually politically motivated or not would be determined by the committee members.

Sources said the committee members would also decide how to handle the declared political cases on individual basis because some were being tried in courts while some were still being investigated.