RAWALPINDI: Police have arrested 16 people in connection with an attack on the election office of a PML-N leader and the main accused in the murder of the nephew of former Punjab law minister Raja Basharat.

On the other hand, Numbardar Asad Mehmood, who was the ruling party candidate for the slot of chairman UC-86 Dhamial, was brought back to Rawalpindi along with his two facilitators after his arrest in Karachi. The ex-law minister’s nephew, Raja Shoaib, was killed outside a polling station in Dhamial on December 5.

When contacted, SP Ghayas Gul confirmed that Asad Mehmood had been arrested and police were also hunting for his brother, Ikhlaq. He said 18 suspects had already been detained in connection with the murder, including Asad’s father.

The SP said police had also detained 16 people suspected to be involved in the attack on the election office of Asad Mehmood at Dhamial Chowk. The protest was held against police failure to arrest the main accused in the murder case.

When asked how the police identified the suspects, the SP said they were traced during an investigation though there were no CCTV footages of the incident.

As many as 60 protesters were booked on the charge of damaging the election office of Asad Mehmood. However, none of the protesters was nominated in the FIR registered with Saddar Barooni police on the complaint of Constable Mohammad Imran. 

The constable in his complaint stated that 60 unidentified people, chanting slogans and carrying sticks and batons, attacked the office and damaged its furniture and windowpanes. 

The protesters also stormed Chaudhry Subtain’s mansion located in the neighborhood and set a vehicle on fire.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2015